[sustran] That's Right, Los Angeles Is Giving Up Car Lanes for Pedestrians

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/07/s-right-los-angeles-giving-car-lanes-pedestrians/6116/


That's Right, Los Angeles Is Giving Up Car Lanes for Pedestrians

   - Eric Jaffe <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/authors/eric-jaffe/>
   - Jul 05, 2013
   - 30 Comments<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/07/s-right-los-angeles-giving-car-lanes-pedestrians/6116/#disqus_thread>

[image: That's Right, Los Angeles Is Giving Up Car Lanes for
Pedestrians]Reuters


  Los Angeles has a great deal of
walkability<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/05/celebrating-ls-hidden-walkability/5564/>despite
its car-centric reputation, but much of it remains hidden to the
public. In the city's historic Broadway corridor, at least, that secret is
about to come out. The city council recently
voted<http://blogdowntown.com/2013/07/7228-broadway-to-trade-in-traffic-lanes-for-pedestrian>to
fund an initial redevelopment of Broadway into a legitimate pedestrian
plaza — reducing six lanes of road down to three in the process.

The plan to "bring back"
Broadway<http://www.bringingbackbroadway.com/Initiatives/STREETSCAPEPLANBROADWAYROADDIET/OVERVIEW/index.htm>has
been going on for about five years, but it really started to take
shape
in late 2009<http://blogdowntown.com/2009/11/4878-refined-broadway-streetscape-plan-ready-for>with
the public release of a street redesign. The first phase of this
"Broadway Streetscape Master Plan"
[PDF<http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/othrplan/pdf/Broadway_StreetscapePlan.pdf>]
is a makeshift and very cost-effective ($1.8 million) conversion modeled on
the pedestrian parcels implemented in New York City. The second phase, yet
to be funded, is where the heavy transformations would occur:


*Image courtesy of the City Planning Commission
[PDF<http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/othrplan/pdf/Broadway_StreetscapePlan.pdf>
]*.

As that image shows, the proposed changes will alter Broadway to its core.
Instead of five travel lanes plus a "ghost" sixth lane for buses, the
street will devote just three lanes to traffic and extend sidewalks and
curbs for walking. Transit will be enhanced, too, with improvements to bus
service and groundwork for a streetcar line the city hopes to bring to the
corridor.

All told, Broadway's reconfiguration will increase pedestrian share of the
road from 38 percent, at present, up to 47 percent — just about going
halfsies with cars.

The goal is to rejuvenate a Broadway strip that's lost much of its historic
charm, at least according to the master plan. While shoppers do flock to
the area during the day, at night the street is largely shuttered to
business. Some of the old theaters have even been converted into
non-entertainment venues, though many have agreed to revive their previous
roles once the street changes take place.


*Image courtesy of the City Planning Commission
[PDF<http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/othrplan/pdf/Broadway_StreetscapePlan.pdf>
]*.

But Los Angeles has wisely chosen to pursue this goal by making Broadway a
much friendlier place to walk around. Right now the traffic whizzes right
next to the sidewalk without a buffer, and the 56-foot crosswalks are
daunting. The new plan will broaden and beautify the sidewalks and, in
addition to reducing the crossing length, also include mid-block refuges.

The traffic studies suggest that the plan represents a true shift in
priorities. On their own, the proposed alterations will put a strain on
some intersections during morning and evening rush — at least so far as car
level-of-service<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/12/transportation-planning-law-every-city-should-repeal/636/>is
concerned. But the plans intend to mitigate this impact by promoting
walking and transit, and the master document makes clear that vehicles will
take a backseat, if you will, to alternative modes:

 Instead of seeing an efficient street as one that moves a certain number
of vehicles through its intersections at certain target speeds, or one that
maximizes throughput, this Plan seeks to move people both through and along
the street, in a multi-modal fashion, in order to achieve efficiency and
maximize input and output, be that by bus, bike, streetcar, delivery truck,
or car.


*Image courtesy of the City Planning Commission
[PDF<http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/othrplan/pdf/Broadway_StreetscapePlan.pdf>
]*.



The plan is far from perfect. The choice for
streetcars<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/05/case-caution-when-it-comes-building-street-cars/5699/>in
the corridor seems inspired more by nostalgia than true mobility: as
currently conceived, they will share the road with other traffic and may be
redundant with some buses. While plans do call for bike racks, there's no
sign of bike lanes. And parking is a key to the new corridor, no doubt a
nod to business demands, although the best new research suggests that
retailers make more
money<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/11/4-reasons-retailers-dont-need-free-parking-thrive/3978/>
over
the long term from walkers than from wheels.

But there's still time to work on the details — phase one won't be done
until the end of the year — and even in its current form the Broadway plan
serves a greater purpose. The more that walkability is brought to
high-profile parts of Los Angeles, the more that Angelinos can think of it
as a natural part of their city as opposed to a hidden gem.

*Top image: Thousands of protesters march up Broadway during a May Day
immigration rally in Los Angeles. (David McNew/Reuters)*
 Keywords: Los Angeles <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/hubs/los-angeles/>,
Walkability <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/topics/walkability/>,
Broadway<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/topics/broadway/>,
streetcar <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/topics/streetcar/>, complete
streets <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/topics/complete-streets/>
  <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/authors/eric-jaffe/>

Eric Jaffe is a contributing writer to The Atlantic Cities and the author
of *The King's Best Highway: The Lost History of the Boston Post Road, the
Route That Made America*. He lives in New York. All posts
»<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/authors/eric-jaffe/>