L.A. Is Less Walkable Than Before. How Does Your 'Hood Score?

Hollywood scored at 92 ^_^

Everyday, as a City code enforcement official, I cite property owners to repair their structures.  Yet, owners, residents and tenants become upset when I can't cite the City to fix the broken sidewalks, alley's and streets, which they already paid for, thru their property tax.  It becomes especially irritating and frustrating to a person in a wheelchair, where the ADA laws require wheelchair ramps on street corners, but the City refuses to make the needed sidewalk repairs in-between.   Instead, the City creates a law to place the burden of repair and cost, on the property owner, while the City runs off with your money !

Let's elect an ordinary citizen to the open seat in council district 15.
Someone who is not politically connected.

A decent chunk of the money they ran off with has been paid to "inspect" the gaping crater in the sidewalk outside my place FIVE TIMES since January when a tree fell.

Wouldn't it have been cheaper to have fixed it by now? Before being sued by an injured pedestrian as is sure to happen sooner or later.

I have stopped being surprised by the "whoah sh*t" exclamations as people walk by and have to move onto the road.

It's doing my walk score no good at all!

Mr Mat,  glad to meet your acquaintance.

By the way, the tree fell during our monsoon because of a large branch extending over the whole street, unbalancing it obviously by the effect on the sidewalk. This too had been reported to the city multiple times.

The only evidence of any action on the city's part is an orange warning strobe (battery long since dead or stolen) and arcane spray paint ground markings.

Ok a day later I am done ranting now. :P

Sadly, the city of LA has decided it is cheaper to pay out the law suits than actually fix the sidewalks. True story. 

Agree msmerymac....city council could care less.....it's never their money.

I wonder if their lawyers advised them in that direction.

I can't say I'm impressed with _why_ they say walkability matters--it looks just a bit biased towards hippy-dippy mumbo jumbo. (Oh no, I can't walk to Whole Foods! But on the plus side, there's a drum circle down the street every weekend.)

However, for those neighborhoods I'm familiar with (including Koreatown, where I live) the scores do reflect how "walkable" they are by ordinary people who might be inclined to walk because they can't afford to spend a small fortune on a car.

"ordinary people" can't afford cars?

it's more a matter of personal preference. if you feel ok having to drive to do anything that's fine. i feel oddly trapped if nothing is within walking distance. might be a phobia :)

my address in echo park scores a 55, which is ludicrous, because i walk almost all my regular errands here. i guess most people have a wider radius of needs.

it's obviously a conspiracy. someone told Walkscore that nobody walks in LA and they tweaked the algorithm. I got a 54 in Echo Park too. Elysian Heights though, I can walk places, but can't walk back up hill without breaking a sweat ;-)

Also, no sign of Culver City in the rankings. It's marked simply as "Los Angeles" if you look at their "heat map", presumably based on zip code. Downtown Culver rates pretty high if you look it up manually, at 92.

Mine got a 97. :) 

They seem to have changed their algorithm quite a bit. Last time I looked my place in Venice was in the low 90s, now it's at 83. Although businesses closing/moving can affect the score, I don't think things are quite THAT bad. :)

My neighborhood got a respectable 78. But ironically it didn't include the Chandler Bikeway, just a block from where I live.