New measure aims to make L.A. streets safer from deadly car crashes
The future of Los Angeles streets is on the ballot as a new measure aims to make roads and walkways safer from deadly car crashes.
Measure HLA, also known as Healthy Streets LA, would implement Mobility Plan 2035, which calls for additional safety features such as widening sidewalks, protected bike and bus lanes, road elements to prevent speeding, and more, to improve traffic safety.
The improvements aim to save lives from an increasing number of deadly car collisions.
Brooke Rios, an educator and a supporter of “Yes on Measure HLA,” said she has seen too many close calls by watching students trying to make their way to school in a high-traffic area.
“I’ve seen students get hit by cars,” Rios said. “I’ve watched families with children in tow trying to cross busy streets like Washington Boulevard and Venice Boulevard that don’t have the infrastructure for safety. They’re literally risking their lives on the way to school.”
L.A. residents will have the chance to vote on Measure HLA in Tuesday’s primary election.
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Billboard ad for “Yes on Measure HLA” seen in Los Angeles on Feb. 29, 2024. (KTLA) People using a crosswalk in a high-traffic street in downtown Los Angeles. (AP) A white tire placed to honor a pedestrian who was killed near a crosswalk in Los Angeles. (KTLA) Preston Carter, left, 100, talks with police officers after police say his car went onto a sidewalk and plowed into a group of parents and children outside a South Los Angeles elementary school, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Los Angeles. Nine children and two adults were injured in the wreck. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Los Angeles fire department firefighters arrive at the scene of a car crash in front of a fast food restaurant near downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. The traffic accident left a vehicle overturned on a sidewalk and another smashed-up car in the drive-thru lane of a fast-food restaurant. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) First responders on the scene of a fatal crash in Gardena on Feb. 11, 2024. (South Bay Responders) A bicyclist is shown riding alongside the traffic on Rowena Avenue near West Silver Lake Drive to Lakewood Avenue North on Aug. 13, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Five teenagers and a 12-year-old were allegedly involved in a dangerous high-speed pursuit that traversed several Los Angeles neighborhoods and ended in a violent crash on Feb. 18, 2024. (OnSceneTV) A Los Angeles Police Department officers assess an accident near downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. The traffic accident left a vehicle overturned on a sidewalk and another smashed-up car in the drive-thru lane of a fast-food restaurant. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) Billboard ad for “Yes on Measure HLA” seen in Los Angeles on Feb. 29, 2024. (KTLA) Brent Butterworth rides his bike on a protected bike lane on Reseda Boulevard in this file photo. (Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times) The LA Metro El Monte Station, as picture in a Google Street View image. Footage shared to the Citizen app on Feb. 20, 2024, shows a fatal crash in Lake Balboa. An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department collided with a driver early Monday morning, and information from authorities indicates that the driver refused to exit his vehicle after the crash. (OnSceneTV)
The measure is being supported by the majority of L.A. city councilmembers who said the streets of L.A. are growing more dangerous every year.
In 2023 alone, 337 people were killed in crashes on L.A. streets, city officials said, which marks the highest-ever recorded in L.A. history. Around 1,559 people were severely injured by a crash in 2023. Car collisions are also the leading cause of death for children in L.A., according to the Los Angeles Times.
Resident Glen Booker, who supports the measure, has lived just off Venice Boulevard near Crenshaw Boulevard for 14 years but lately, he said he’s afraid to even walk in his neighborhood anymore.
“They just zip by here,” Booker said of speeding drivers. “We’re trying to make it safe, not just for children, but especially for children.”
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However, opponents of the measure being led by the Los Angeles City Firefighters union believe the new safety features would put lives at risk by hindering response times for emergency workers such as ambulances and firefighters.
“The HLA is misleading, it will not save lives,” said Freddy Escobar, captain of the L.A. Fire Department and president of United Fire Fighters Of Los Angeles City. “It’s going to delay response and we’re going to have unfortunate outcomes when they dial 911.”
If Measure HLA passes, it could pave the way for major changes to city streets. The plan could take up to 15 years to complete and could cost an estimated $3.1 billion, according to an analysis by City Administrative Officer Matt Szabofigure. However, HLA backers said that figure is greatly exaggerated.
More information supporting Measure HLA can be found here. Information from critics of the measure can be found here.
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