Someone called in the cavalry over the plans for a a multi-modal bridge set to cross the LA River between Atwater Village and Griffith Park. A recent gathering of the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council gave local equestrians the opportunity to point out the foibles of the proposed design, reports the Los Feliz Ledger. The current plan for the bridge allows for pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian access, but horse owners at the meeting had numerous concerns about the safety of the bridge, given that such a diverse crowd will be using it.
Among the complaints of the urban cowboys on hand:
1) The bridge will be less safe than just walking through the river, which is the current method for equestrians riding from Griffith Park to Atwater Village
2) The proposed railing height of the bridge, at five feet, is too short
3) Equestrians would have to use the LA River bike path to get to the bridge
4) Some attendees thought the design of the bridge was "out-of-place with the historically designated Griffith Park"
Always-busy landscape architect Mia Lehrer, whose firm worked on the design, was on hand to point out that "bikers and pedestrians had learned to share space 'civilly' near Santa Monica" (The Ledger didn't go into detail about where this civility occurs and we're coming up blank. Anyone know?). Lehrer also assured the crowd that the bridge would be illuminated. Omar Brownson of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation said he would ask the designers about raising the height of the railings.
Back in October, Brownson made it clear to Curbed that the bridge was only in the conceptual design phase, with the development design and environmental review stages still forthcoming. The bridge, which local officials hope will act as a catalyst for more projects along the LA River, is being developed by the LA River Revitalization Corporation and is funded mostly by a donation from philanthropist Morton La Kretz. It will be given to the city of Los Angeles when it's finished.
· Equestrians Trample Atwater Bridge Plans [Los Feliz Ledger]
· Atwater Village to Get "Iconic" Bridge Across the LA River [Curbed LA]
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