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Streetsblog L.A. is different from other Streetsblogs in that it has a broader idea of what a Streetsblog can cover. Today, we’re focusing on the work done by editor Joe Linton although we will soon post about the work of Sahra Sulaiman and our local coverage of the San Gabriel Valley.
We all know that 2024 was a rough year in a lot of ways, and to help change the tone a little, we thought we’d focus on the positive stories from the past year. I asked Joe if he could tell us some stories he really enjoyed working on. This is what he told me.
One of his favorite projects is the recently completed Hollywood Boulevard makeover, not just because it’s a very ambitious project on a high profile street, but also because it’s a route he regularly uses when biking with his daughter.
The mainstream media may tell you that hardly anyone rides Metro, yet the ground truth is that Metro ridership has been steadily growing, and recently surpassed a million daily riders. Every month this year ridership grew, with October - the latest available data - setting a new Pandemic Era record. In addition to rebuffing the mainstream narrative, Joe mentioned he enjoyed digging into the data to see why ridership is growing on certain lines more than others. Spoiler: add more frequent service, more bus-only lanes, and make bike/walk connections.
This year he is also particularly encouraged by voters approving Measure HLA which is seen as a broad referendum on L.A.'s multimodal future. HLA now mandates new bus, bike and walk improvements throughout the city, though Linton expressed disappointment at how hard city public works leadership keep resisting its implementation.
It’s not just the city of Los Angeles that has produced some exciting changes. Joe noted, “probably the thing I like most is to take transit and bike to go out and check out projects - take photos and get the word out on positive infrastructure improvements - from Santa Monica’s MANGo extension, to L.A. City's annual bike lane mileage, to Glendale's protected bike lanes pilot, to Roscoe Boulevard bus lanes, and many more.”
Last, Joe also mentioned his high hopes for the future Puente Hills Landfill Park, a literal dump that is being transformed into the “Griffith Park of the San Gabriel Valley.” More on that in a future email, but if you’re not familiar with the project, read about it at a recent post Linton co-authored.
If you’re convinced, and want to support Joe’s work and the rest of the Streetsblog L.A. team, please consider making a tax deductible donation today. You can get started, by clicking here.
