I don’t wanna put the the business on blast although I will say it’s a not-for-profit, if it were a business I think I would treat this different. I have been asking them to correct this for nearly a year now, maybe yall can help with next steps! The plaza and entrance is connected to the elevated pedestrian walkway downtown, designed to keep pedestrians away from vehicular traffic. However, they continue to allow car, trucks, suvs, passenger vans, service vehicles, box trucks park and drive up here on a daily basis. I have been told by management it’s because they don’t have a loading dock. Okay but there’s no marking to indicate right of way, no striping for parking, no barricade nothing. Just everyone guessing. Today I watched pedestrians have to yield so two vehicles could pass each other on the sidewalk. Often times the cars are parked on the plaza for hours at a time. Not to mention the fact that the building itself sits on an 11 story parking garage. LADOT looked into it for me and said that there should never be vehicles up there because it’s a public sidewalk however because it is on private property they cannot enforce that.

What do you think can be done? It’s such a public safety hazard I’m not sure why everyone involved is so blaze about it .

Any help is appreciated and thank you!!

If you care at all about pedestrian and bicycle safety please show up to city council this upcoming Monday, October 19th, to express support for the planned protected bike lanes, agenda item F5.

https://weho.granicusideas.com/meetings/1778-regular-city-council-meeting/agenda_items/6acfc85df2b6700ab1003293-f-dot-5-direction-on-the-fountain-avenue-streetscape

But I’m having some anxiety! I’m trying to do a pro and con list to decide if I actually want to do it:

The Cons -
Dirty
Unsafe
Sometimes way longer than driving
Unbearable biking or waiting for a bus in the summer
Spending money on Uber/ or Lime instead (this might add up fast)
Not able to pick up bigger stuff
Have to rent a car for road trips

Biggest cons are safety and wait times for me. I was car free in LA the first three years I lived here. I found the Red Line to be pretty gross and unsafe at night. A man threatened to light me on fire and had a canister in my face and I was pretty much done at that point. This was 2016-2019 and I know a loootttt of the Metro has gotten so much better but I’m still nervous about safety.

The Pros -
Less expensive than owning a car (gas prices are atrocious wtf)
Not worry about maintenance
Cars depreciate in value and cost so much to maintain
Get to listen to podcasts, work, read or game on a commute
No more sitting in LA traffic!!!
Certain lines and locations are better than others
I can get a bike and exercise
My partner and friends can get me around sometimes

I took the A Line to a Sparks game the other day and it was so peaceful. I was like, wow $3-ish to get downtown from Cypress Park. No insane parking and DTLA traffic!!

My car costs me around $500 per month (payment, insurance, AAA, gas and I throw $100 for maintenance as an estimate)

My final thought is I’m trying to move to a studio in Pasadena, so my rent will go up to about $1,700. I also just got a new job in Pasadena so I can easily walk or bike there. That’s not a problem. I’m mostly worried about seeing my friends all over town or getting to certain neighborhoods further away but I mostly stay on the east side / central. I think I could save a huge chunk of money though and have that go towards rent and that seems more worth it?

What are your thoughts? Anything to you would as to either list? Does anyone regret getting rid of their car?

Hello! just wondering what the general consensus is on getting around LA with any forms of public transport? i.e. what are the best/worst parts of the system? and if you could change something about the system, what would it be? 

This one's a block off the CicLAvia route. Corner number 21, 5th weekend in a row we're painting. We're on a roll! Come join the movement this Saturday <3

Sad that it took a child's death to accomplish this but still a sign that we are entirely capable of building safe streets infrastructure, and doing it fast, and the neighborhoods that should be prioritized are those disproportionately affected by traffic violence.

Also, our advocacy is working. Even though it would've been ideal to get this done before something terrible happened, electeds are starting to recognize the urgency of the issue and take these things seriously.

Block by block we're gonna change the landscape of Los Angeles and build a city that respects the dignity of people who walk, bike, and take public transit.

The Grand Avenue/Bunker Hill bridge from the A/E line station was supposed to be open months ago (closed due to Broad Museum expansion). Does anyone know if it actually reopened? It's a pain in the ass to go up and down those stairs. And does anyone know if LAX APM has resumed testing? TigerRailFan had a video recently, and I did not see one train moving in it.

From the LADOT email:

During the first phase of engagement, community members consistently prioritized pedestrian and bicyclist safety, as well as better connections between UCLA and Metro stations. In response, LADOT is proposing Class IV protected bike lanes, bus-only lanes, and pedestrian safety improvements along Westwood Blvd.

As we begin the second phase of outreach, we want to hear your feedback on the proposed design! Your feedback helps ensure the proposed design addresses the traffic safety issues and reflects local context we heard during the first phase of community outreach.

Voice your support HERE.

Naturally it's important that LADOT hear a lot of support for their proposed improvements so they can push back against inevitable NIMBY opposition.

Great excuse to start a Bike Bus at your school <3

I just started using this app, bikebus.club for our bike bus and I can imagine it being super useful if you are just starting out!

Stay safe out there in the heat!