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Mayor Announces 'Great Streets' Program to Focus on Main Streets
A Rapid 720 bus in traffic on Wilshire near Westwood (Photo by TinCanOrange via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
Mayor Eric Garcetti issued his first executive order to make over 40 streets around the city to focus on Main Street livability.
"A great neighborhood needs a great street as its backbone, and, as city leaders, we need the backbone to make the bold changes necessary to build great streets," Garcetti said.
It's no secret our streets are bad. No matter what we try to do, our streets keep stinking.
While Garcetti has tried to address the problem with his Neighborhood Blitz operation, the Great Streets program aims to take it to the next level. Realizing that Main Streets are the heart of a neighborhood, this program will create a task force across five city departments to work with the public to help keep streets smooth along with tailoring projects to the surrounding communities.
The task force will include officials from the planning, cultural affairs, transportation, public works and the economic and workforce development departments. They will work with the DWP and the MTA to coordinate projects.
"No more Bureau of Street Services paving a street on Monday, DWP digging it up on Tuesday," Garcetti said.
Deputy Mayor for City Services Doane Liu will call a meeting of the task force in the coming weeks which will then have 90 days to present a list of the 40 streets, mayoral aides told City News Service. The public will be able to be a part of the process, but nothing concrete has been disclosed yet.
The hope is to get working on the project in 18 months.
We've been lured by such promises over and over again. Let's see if Garcetti has the leadership to make sure his vision gets done.