Kristopher Fortin

Thrive Santa Ana hopes to turn vacant city-owned lots into affordable housing, community gardens, recreational space, economic incubators

A question from Marina Ramirez, a Santa Ana resident and member of Santa Ana Active Streets Coalition, put Darrell Johnson on the defensive. She asked the panel what is being done to address displacement from active transportation (AT) improvements, and added a followup question: OCTA has an AT checklist, she said; why not add an equity checklist?

The Safe Mobility Santa Ana Plan was released earlier this month with very little fanfare, yet it may be the planning document that will possibly have the biggest impact on the city's streets for years to come.

As 16-year-old Alexandra Retana walked up to the podium during last week's Anaheim City Council meeting's public comment period, she took a breath to calm herself.

The City of Anaheim released its draft Bicycle Master Plan on August 1 and is looking for public feedback. The plan proposes to add 120 miles of additional bike facilities to the city, which would triple currently existing infrastructure.

Last week, I stopped by Garden Grove's and Anaheim's third Active Transportation Leadership Program workshops to meet some of the attendees.

Funding transportation projects in California is a complex and arcane process involving many players, including state and federal agencies, regional planning authorities, and local cities and counties. It usually comes with strings attached, needing to fulfill requirements of state or federal legislation or of a local sales tax spending plan. A project can start with local residents advocating for something they want, but needing to fit it to state or regional goals for planning, air quality, or transportation.

Michele Martinez, a City Council member for the City of Santa Ana, says she’s an avid cyclist, but she doesn’t ride on city roads. After being hit twice by automobiles while riding in Santa Ana, she would rather load her bike in her car and take it to the Santa Ana River trail than ride on local streets, she said.

James Rojas brought his interactive planning workshop to Pacoima at a pop-up plaza event on April 19.

For most people who live in Alhambra, the pedestrian is a second rate participant on the city's roads. Car dealerships line Main Street in the north, wide four lane streets run along Valley.