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LA County Approves Slow Streets Program For Unincorporated Communities
L.A.'s "Slow Streets" program launched in the Del Rey neighborhood on Friday, May 15, 2020. (Courtesy Joslyn Treece)
Los Angeles County leaders today approved a plan to create a “Slow Streets” program for unincorporated communities — similar to the initiatives launched in several local cities, including L.A. and Pasadena.
The Board of Supervisors approved a motion at their board meeting directing the county’s public health and the public works departments to work together to:
- develop guidelines for rolling out a program with “simple design solutions” — like signs
- select five to 10 roadways in unincorporated communities “that make viable Slow Streets candidates”
- develop a simple, low-cost — or possibly free — permit so community-based organizations can apply to bring the program to more neighborhoods
The motion from Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn underscores the lack of access in many unincorporated communities to parks, open space and even sidewalks wide enough to allow social distancing:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made the inequities that exist in these underserved communities readily apparent, and there is an opportunity to leverage the data collected through the County’s 2020 Vision Zero Action Plan and 2016 Parks Needs Assessment in order to create a program that allows neighborhoods to minimize traffic on local roads and create safe environments for residents conducting essential activities.”
The departments are to report back in two weeks with their plan.
READ MORE ABOUT LOCAL STREET SAFETY ISSUES:
- LA's Slow Streets Program Is Picking Up Speed (Despite Some Attacks On Signs)
- Even With Stay-At-Home Orders, LA Traffic Deaths Are Keeping Pace With Last Year
- 'Car Accident' Or 'Traffic Violence'? The Way We Talk About Crashes Is Evolving
- There's A New Push To Put The Brakes On LA's Rising Speed Limits
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