It's time for the city to take a closer look at the way they deal with the intersection of sidewalks and construction; recently, when the two have met, it's led to closed sidewalks, people in the street, and decreased pedestrian access (to businesses as well as transit)—contradictory considering Downtown's trying to build itself up as Complete-Streets-y, walkable haven. Now, Councilman Jose Huizar's introduced a motion that asks that "enforceable measures that can serve as mitigating tools or alternatives to street closures"—things like building covered walkways or even shutting down a lane to car traffic—be explored.
"Our vision is to have a downtown that is pedestrian friendly," Huizar said in the LA Times, who notes that current policies surrounding this issue prioritize cars (environmental impact studies don't consider sidewalk closures, only effects on car traffic).
The Downtown Neighborhood Council, which has been vocal on the matter of rampant sidewalk closures in the area, isn't satisfied yet. "Just because there is a council motion doesn't mean that there is follow-through," said a member of the DLANC's planning committee. The committee plans to send a formal letter to the city requesting action.
· L.A. councilman wants developers to build covered walkways on sidewalks [LAT]
· South Park Getting Screwed By South Park Building Boom [Curbed LA]
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