This morning city and community leaders gathered to celebrate the official opening of new pedestrian safety improvements at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Harvard Boulevard. The project is located at the edge of the neighborhoods of Los Feliz and Hollywood, about a half dozen blocks from the Metro B Line Hollywood/Western Station.
"This is the ultimate diva of crosswalks" proclaimed neighborhood resident Shamey Cramer, who advocated for the safety upgrades. The project includes a fancy signalized crosswalk, the kind where pedestrians push a button and lights flash to alert drivers. Prior to now, there had been no marked crosswalks across Franklin for about half a mile, between Western and Normandie Avenues.
The project also added new curb ramps, improved existing curb ramps, and repaired sidewalks. The features add up to increased safety and accessibility at the Franklin/Harvard DASH bus stop. It's not a big transformational project, but it is a handful of worthwhile upgrades targeted where they were much needed.
The improvements were shepherded by L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who spoke of the need to "reorient our system" so that prioritizing pedestrian safety is "an everyday occurrence... not something so unusual that it deserves a ribbon-cutting."
"Improvements like these are not only critical for making Los Angeles more accessible, they quite literally save lives."
Raman credited the city staff - the Department of Transportation (LADOT) and Bureau of Street Services (StreetsLA) - and U.S. Congressmember Laura Friedman. Friedman, when serving in the State Assembly, secured state funds for the project.
