Step by Step

Step by Step Approved

By Shirley Harriman

Los Angeles – Tuesday, May 28 the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors item 8 on the agenda was:

8. Hearing on Project No. 2018-000002-(All Districts) for the Step by Step Los Angeles County Pedestrian Plan for Unincorporated Communities Hearing on Project No. 2018-000002-(All Districts), Advance Planning No. RPPL2017011008-(All Districts) and the Mitigated Negative Declaration associated with Environmental Assessment No. RPPL2018002095-(All Districts), to amend the General Plan’s Mobility Element to include the Step by Step Los Angeles County Pedestrian Plan, which proposes policies and programs to improve pedestrian safety for all unincorporated areas of the County, and provides specific recommended projects for the unincorporated communities of Lake Los Angeles, Westmont/West Athens, Walnut Park and West Whittier-Los Nietos. (The Regional Planning Commission has recommended approval of this project.) (Department of Public Health and Department of Regional Planning). The Project was approved.

Erika Schwerdt with South Bay Counseling Center (SBCC) said, “As part of our advocacy campaign, we at SBCC plan on sending a representative from our community to this meeting on Tuesday for the public comment, just as we did for the Measure A vote.” Representing the community of Lake Los Angeles at this hearing was Anna Livingston who spoke in favor of the Project.

Anna said, “My name is Anna Livingstone, I work for SBCC Thrive LA. I live and work in the unincorporated Lake Los Angeles. I work with many of the community groups that were surveyed along the way for this pedestrian plan. The proposed improvements are vital for our region, especially with mobility in the summertime. We live in a desert area with temperatures reaching up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that the only practical time to walk, is in the evening or night. Over 27% of Lake Los Angelinos live below the poverty line and do not have reliable transportation so walking is their only way of moving about. These upgrades to our community will drastically change the quality of life and safety for thousands of residents in my community. I urge you to approve the pedestrian plan in full, for the health and safety of Lake Los Angeles. Thank you.”

The Lake Los Angeles Community Pedestrian Plan includes crossing projects, sidewalk/path projects, traffic calming, pedestrian (human-scaled) lighting and place keeping. There are 50 proposed pedestrian projects with an estimated cost of $36,410,000.

The proposal stated that while proposed infrastructure projects help to enhance the pedestrian experience, these alone are not enough to make long-term wide-spread changes. Additionally, programs help support pedestrian infrastructure projects through education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation. This plan builds on planning efforts of the Community Standards District, Antelope Valley Area Plan, High Desert Corridor Project and Los Angeles County, California Code of Ordinance, Rural Outdoor Lighting District.

The most sought after and important project is for the crossings at the schools and include stripe yellow continental crosswalks, install pedestrian activated warning signal, install high speed feedback sign. The similar project is planned for East Avenue P and 170th Street East approach to the Park.

The funding is grant driven and will take time as grants are sought after by Los Angeles County.