The Los Angeles Post

ACCELERATING SAFER STREETS AND VISION ZERO IN LA COUNTY

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Los Angeles, CA (September 24, 2024) – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved Chair Lindsey P. Horvath and Supervisor Hilda L. Solis’ motion to accelerate implementation of the County’s Bicycle Master Plan (LACBMP) and Vision Zero improvements. Despite pedestrians and bicyclists being involved in just 16 percent of all collisions resulting in injury, they account for nearly 30 percent of fatal and severe injury collisions on County managed roadways. Given the substantial loss of life that has become all too common, there is an urgent need to build out safe and accessible bikeways and paths within unincorporated Los Angeles County and save lives doing so.  

“Bike paths and protected bike lanes not only make biking more attractive options, but they also save lives and improve our air quality,” said Chair Lindsey P. Horvath. “Through this motion, we’re putting Los Angeles County on a path to move faster and smarter when it comes to building out the bike facilities that create safer and more attractive neighborhoods. Through this work, we will also support our Vision Zero goal to eliminate roadway fatalities by 2035, focusing on the communities that are disproportionately impacted by traffic violence and have not received their fair share of safe streets investments.” 

The motion calls for a focus the equitable implementation of the LACBMP by building on the program’s established equity index and prioritizing corridors of greatest need. 

“We need to ensure that everyone, especially those in our most vulnerable communities, has equal access to safe, fun, and welcoming active transportation options,” said Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. “Every time we create open spaces and bike paths in underserved areas, we’re both addressing our climate crisis and improving the physical, mental, and social-emotional well-being of thousands of children and families. To that end, as we take steps towards accelerating our bike network, let’s prioritize our County’s strategic advantages by focusing on building a regional network of high-quality bike paths, just as we’re doing with the Emerald Necklace in the First District.”

While LA County has a goal to achieve zero traffic-related fatalities by 2035, to date, only a small number of Vision Zero improvements and 22 percent of the 2012 LACBMP treatments have been implemented. This motion puts the County on track to move faster in rolling out new bikeways and leveraging state active transportation funding focused on protected bikeways, which receive the lion’s share of state grant funding.  

“For far too long, the streets of Los Angeles have been unnecessarily dangerous, with a pedestrian being injured every five hours and killed every two days,” said Michael Schneider, Executive Director of Streets for All. “When City of Los Angeles voters passed Measure HLA this March, they sent a clear signal that they want real change on our streets to keep people safe, regardless of their mode of transportation. Applying the same principles behind HLA to LA County — the most populous county in the country — is a no brainer. Supervisor Horvath has been a staunch supporter her entire career on street safety, and we applaud her leadership in getting a LA County version of Measure HLA implemented.” 

As part of the motion, LA County Public Works will provide a report back on the feasibility, including potential cost savings that might be realized, through a countywide program and ordinance similar to that of the City of Los Angeles’ Measure HLA in which every time a street is repaved or repaired, any corresponding mobility improvements must also be implemented.  

“We need to accelerate projects for millions of LA County residents who need safe bike, walk, and roll routes,” said Eli Lipmen, Executive Director of Move LA. “We face both a climate crisis and a safety crisis on our streets. Updating and accelerating the build-out of the LA County Bicycle Master Plan will save lives and create healthier communities. We support a more integrated system and a legacy of zero-emission corridor for residents and the millions of visitors coming to the region for the seven mega-events happening in the next four years—what we call a ‘Festival Trail’.”