Why we can’t have nice things in Los Angeles

About a month and a half ago, I got a phone call from one of my colleagues on the Mid City West Community Council (one of LA’s 99 “neighborhood councils”). He was excited that StreetsLA (our Bureau of Street Services) was considering applying for a $40M grant to redo a long section of Melrose (between Fairfax and Highland)— one of LA’s most iconic streets. The street is also on the city’s “High Injury Network” and part of the City’s 2035 Mobility Plan where it has a planned protected bike lane. Here is what “Uplift Melrose” was proposed to look like: