10 mobility plan corridors LA should do now

Listen to the City Council talking about how dangerous LA’s streets are.

Last Wednesday, the City Council waxed poetic about how dangerous its streets are, how its abjectly failed to implement its own mobility plan, and how it has to change. And then it voted to send Healthy Streets LA to the March 2024 ballot.

To be fair, there is a parallel effort led by Council President Nury Martinez, that, at least in theory, would do much of what Healthy Streets LA is going to do. The problem is that with HSLA now at the 2024 ballot, and the Council President’s version nowhere near ready to become law, we are in a void. And in this void, the city is mostly following its status quo — repaving, while not implementing the mobility plan.

Streets For All created a Google Sheet that overlays StreetsLA’s repaving schedule for fiscal year 22–23 (which we’re in now) and 23–24 (starting July 1, 2023) with the City’s Mobility Plan 2035. This google sheet shows all of the low hanging fruit repaving opportunities to implement the mobility plan.

If city leaders are serious about changing course, they don’t have to wait until either Healthy Streets LA becomes law in 2024 or the Council President’s version passes — they could do so now, voluntarily, and show citizens how the status quo is no longer acceptable.

Here are 10 corridors that are scheduled to be repaved within the next 10 months, where the city should implement its own mobility plan:

National either has no bike infrastructure or a door zone bike lane; the mobility plan promises protected lanes.

1. National Bl (CD5) from Expo/Palms and Mentone to Overland — this would connect the existing bike lanes east of this segment to the bike lanes on National Place. Especially useful while the Northvale gap still isn’t done. National Bl has a protected bike lane from Motor Ave to Palms Bl on the mobility plan — none of it has been implemented.

Melrose has zero bike infrastructure. This is where Uplift Melrose was supposed to go.

2. Melrose Ave (CD13 and CD5) from La Brea to Gardner, Gower to Cahuenga, Normandie to Western, Wilton Pl to Gower. With Paul Koretz having killed Uplift Melrose, the street is a death trap to ride on. Melrose has a protected bike lane from La Cienega (city border) to Virgil on the mobility plan — none of it has been implemented.

Venice Bl’s door zone bike lane — not the protected bike lanes promised. Also absent: the bus lane.

3. Venice Bl (CD10 and CD11) from Norton to Crenshaw, Lincoln to Abbot Kinney. The western part would connect nicely to what LADOT is already planning East of Lincoln. Norton to Crenshaw would be a good thing to aim to connect to once protected bike lanes are extended east to Fairfax. Venice Bl has a protected bike lane from Pacific to Arlington and 24x7 bus lane from Pacific to San Pedro on the mobility plan — less than 1 mile of the protected bike lane has been implemented, and none of the bus lane has been implemented.

7th St’s bike lane — this is in the door zone not the protected bike lanes promised.

4. 7th (CD1) from Figueroa to Burlington — key to upgrade this unprotected bike lane to protected on the only safe way in/out of DTLA from the westside. This is a good long stretch to start. 7th St has a protected bike lane from New Hampshire to Central on the mobility plan — none of it has been implemented.

Central Ave’s bike lane — this is in the door zone not the protected bike lanes promised.

5. Central (CD15) from 108th to Imperial Hwy — the city should upgrade the bike lane from its current uprotected (class 2) lane to protected per the mobility plan. Central has a protected bike lane from 95th St to 120th St on the mobility plan — none of it has been implemented.

Arlington Ave — lacking any bike infrastructure whatsoever. Supposed to have Class 2 bike lanes.

6. Arlington (CD10) from Country Club to Washington — we suffer from a lack of good, safe north/south options, and Arlington’s bike lane has never been implemented anywhere. Arlington/Van Ness has an unprotected bike lane from Franklin to Century on the mobility plan — none of it has been implemented.

San Vicente’s door zone bike lane — not the protected bike lanes promised.

7. San Vicente (CD11) from Barrington to Bundy — it’s time to finally upgrade the San Vicente bike lanes to protected bike lanes. San Vicente has a protected bike lane from 26th St (city border) to Wilshire on the mobility plan — none of it has been implemented.

Sherman Way — it either has door zone bike lanes or no bike lanes, nothing the mobility plan promised.

8. Sherman Way (CD3) from Topanga Canyon to Shoup (Class 2) and Corbin to Mason (Class 4). Sherman Way has a protected bike lane from Topanga Canyon to Clybourn (city border) and an unprotected bike lane from Platt to Topanga Canyon on the mobility plan — hardly any of it has been implemented.

Woodley has unprotected door zone bike lanes, when it should have protected bike lanes.

9. Woodley (CD6) from Saticoy to Sherman Way — upgrade this currently unprotected bike lane to protected as intended. Woodley has a protected bike lane from Rinaldi to Victory on the mobility plan — none of it has been implemented.

Hollywood Bl has zero bike infrastructure, a far cry from the protected bike lane on the mobility plan.

10. Hollywood Bl (CD13) from Taft to Gower. This goes over the 101 and is especially treacherous. Hollywood Bl has a protected bike lane from La Brea to Sunset Bl on the mobility plan — none of it has been implemented.