Today, Streets for All announced its L.A. 25x25 Challenge. The campaign asks Los Angeles City leaders to endorse giving 25 percent of street space back to the people by 2025. Per the campaign website, this would "massively expand Slow Streets, Al Fresco outdoor dining, plazas, green space, bus shelters, tree planting, pedestrian space, and bus and bike lanes" and would be "the largest and most progressive change on L.A.'s streets in many decades."
Taken together, streets and sidewalks are Los Angeles’ largest publicly owned asset. Despite the spatial abundance of 55,360 acres of streets crisscrossing 61,358 intersections, many Angelenos’ everyday lives in our public right of way are largely relegated to uncomfortable or even hostile existence. All too often are we sitting in gridlocked traffic, waiting for late buses without shade, navigating broken sidewalks, or crossing dangerous streets.
Los Angeles has been built for driver convenience at the expense of people walking, riding bikes, and using transit. Because of this, the majority of Angelenos drive to work (75 percent as of 2017) because they don’t have any other safe and reliable option. 86.3 percent of our public right of way is devoted to car use and storage. The remaining scraps of space are devoted to part-time bus lanes (.08 percent), largely unprotected bike lanes (0.96 percent unprotected, 0.06 percent protected), and broken sidewalks (10.6 percent).
Streets for All graph showing current space allocation on L.A. streets - via L.A. 25x25 webpageStreets for All graph showing current space allocation on L.A. streets - via 25x25 webpage
Streets for All have been soliciting L.A. 25x25 pledges from community groups and candidates running for L.A. City offices.
To date, L.A. 25x25 coalition partners include: Abundant Housing L.A., ActiveSGV, Central City Association of Los Angeles, Climate Resolve, Day One, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, Move L.A., and Streets Are For Everyone.
The following candidates have also signed on to 25x25:
Mayor: Jessica Lall
Controller: David Vahedi and Kenneth Mejia
City Attorney: Kevin James and Marina Torres
Council District 1: Eunisses Hernandez
Council District 3: Yasmine Pomeroy
Council District 5: Molly Basler, Jimmy Biblarz, Scott Epstein, Katy Yaroslavsky, and Sam Yebri
Council District 9: Curren Price and Dulce Vasquez
Council Distict 13: Al Corado, Dylan Kendall, Kate Pynoos, and Hugo Soto-Martinez
Council District 15: Bryant Odega
See the campaign's Sign Ons page for the current list of L.A. 25x25 endorsees.
Streets for All notes that the L.A. 25x25 challenge is inspired by (and received the blessing of) a New York City's Transportation Alternatives NYC 25x25 campaign.
Streets for All L.A. 25x25 graphicStreets for All L.A. 25x25 graphic
Foothill Transit CEO Doran Barnes credits their successes to a "commitment to community," a "spirit of innovation," and fruitful collaborations with numerous partners
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