Streets for All Announces L.A. 25×25 Challenge to Re-Allocate Public Space for People

Streets for All's L.A. 25x25 graphic
Streets for All's L.A. 25x25 graphic

Today, Streets for All announced its L.A. 25×25 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.”

More from the campaign webpage:

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 25x25 webpage
Streets for All graph showing current space allocation on L.A. streets – via L.A. 25×25 webpage

Streets for All have been soliciting L.A. 25×25 pledges from community groups and candidates running for L.A. City offices.

To date, L.A. 25×25 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 25×25:

  • 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. 25×25 endorsees.

Streets for All notes that the L.A. 25×25 challenge is inspired by (and received the blessing of) a New York City’s Transportation Alternatives NYC 25×25 campaign.

Streets for All L.A. 25x25 graphic
Streets for All L.A. 25×25 graphic

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Latino Urban Forum Leader Calls for Taco Truck Permits

|
Last month, the LA County Board of Supervisors issued an edict that all taco trucks would now have to move every hour taking a firm stand against the free market and for increased vehicle miles traveled.  Hilariously, the first taco truck that was ticketed was actually owned by the same people that owned the adjacent […]

In Case It Wasn’t Clear, Advocacy Can Get Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding in #RoadBond

|
While Steve Lopez’s ongoing coverage of the sad state of Los Angeles’ sidewalks isn’t exactly breaking ground for regular Streetsblog readers; when an L.A. Times columnist starts asking questions there are usually some interesting answers. Today’s column, featuring Deborah Murphy, poor sidewalks and Councilmember Joe Buscaino was no different. Responding to a direct question about […]

If A Tree Falls In A #RoadBond, Do Editorial Writers Hear?

|
Today’s Los Angeles Times has two editorials that don’t quite go together. In the editorial South L.A. needs trees, the Times reviews tree removal underway for Metro’s Crenshaw rail line. Almost channeling their inner Lorax, the Times lauds the city and county’s “ambitious post-construction plans” for “planting twice as many trees as they remove, and adding […]