The City of Los Angeles has a reputation for being more car-friendly than pedestrian-friendly. In order to re-establish the walkability of its streets, the city council plans to transform the historic Broadway corridor to a pedestrian plaza. A council vote confirmed plans for the reduction of a nine-block length of the thoroughfare from six car lanes to three, with two northbound lanes and one southbound lane between 2nd and 11 streets. The very first public announcement of the redevelopment called the “Broadway Streetscape Master Plan” was released in 2009.
People over vehicles
LA is notorious for not being friendly at all to joggers and bicyclists and the city council hopes to reiterate that this is not the case at all. Bike lanes and sidewalks were improved and the light rail system was expanded. The upcoming Broadway project is another concrete move to dispel the perception that Los Angeles streets are not meant for pedestrians at all. Its objective is to increase the pedestrian share of the road from 38% to 47%, almost head to head with cars.
A boost to pedestrians and local enterprises
The project will not only boost pedestrian activity but will help local businesses boom as well. The transformation of the Broadway corridor also includes provision of a 24-hour curbside parking. With this in place, people will be encouraged to shop and do business along this stretch of road. The Bring Back Broadway website revealed that the inspiration from the project came from the expansion plans of New York’s Times Square.
A safer Broadway
The Streetscape plan is intended to make Broadway a safer street and will create a more streamlined, predictable and calmer traffic. Bus services will continue and a streetcar will be operational, so the lanes will remain as busy as ever. In order to prevent traffic problems, improvements on the whole transit system will be implemented as well.
The modifications are quite timely given the volume of car accidents that occur along Broadway. In addition, there are currently no buffer zones to protect pedestrians from the oncoming traffic while waiting for a bus or cab ride on the curb. The improvements that the city council plans to build also include widened curb extensions, valet and loading areas for Broadway merchants, better lighting, additional directional signs, storm water recycling and retention system, as well as more plants and trees to make the area more pleasant.
Phase One
Phase one of the project involves a conversion that takes after the pedestrian parcels of New York City which is estimated to cost around $1.8 million. The source of the funding for this is the city’s Measure R Local Return funds. During phase one, semi-permanent public spaces marked with physical indicators and pavement treatments will be installed along Broadway by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). The treatments will be similar to the ones placed at Sunset Triangle Park. City officials are optimistic that phase one will be completed by the end of 2013.
Phase two involves the major transformations and is still looking for funding sources at this point. The temporary changes made during phase one will have to stand until additional funding is secured.
Photo Credit: LA Broadway
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