#bikethevote

1. Los Angeles Metro is constructing and planning multiple transit lines through CD4, including the Purple Line extension, the East Valley Transit Corridor, the Sepulveda corridor line, and the northern extension of the Crenshaw Line. How do you plan to solve the first mile/last mile problem and connect riders to these lines?

As a lifelong user of transit, and as someone who took multiple trains to commute from my home in Silver Lake to my job in Santa Monica, the lack of first / last mile connectivity was something that I thought about every single day. And I had a lot of time to think about it! I was a supercommuter – 90+ minutes each way, with a challenging last mile back to my house.

Here are a few solutions to the first/last mile problem I would work to put in place.

I’d make it easier to get on the bus. For people of all abilities and incomes, the bus is the most effective mover of people we have in the City of Los Angeles. And while we have a good bus network, we’ve been losing ridership steadily for many years. There are many reasons for this, including the rise of rideshare and the decrease in lower income residents in the city who make up the majority of bus ridership. But there’s one major reason that is fairly straightforward to address: bus frequency! Buses should run at a maximum of 10-minute intervals, and faster on heavy-use corridors, especially during rush hour. To get people to their destination faster and to make taking the bus more appealing, I’d also fight to build shelters for every bus station in the city, expand all-door boarding across the entire bus fleet, and build out the city’s network of bus lanes – some tactical lanes that shift from one side of the street to another depending on which way rush-hour traffic moves, and some dedicated lanes on major boulevards

Make it easier for people to walk, cycle, and scoot to the stations. Metro has found over and over again in surveys that the majority of train users are not getting to the station in cars – they’re mostly walking, but also biking and scooting. There’s simply no way to increase ridership without increasing access for pedestrians and cyclists.

I’d take a number of approaches to make walking and bike trips safer and more pleasant depending on the station and its needs: repairing sidewalks, planting lots of trees, lowering traffic speeds around the station, installing bicycle facilities, improving crosswalks, and more. A network of protected bike lanes and widened sidewalks that lead to the stations must be a part of the solution, especially in those areas where they’ve already been prescribed by the Mobility Plan 2035.

Metro has laid out detailed guidelines for how to improve infrastructure to maximize accessibility to train stations in their First Mile Last Mile Strategic Plan, and I would ensure that all stations in the District implement those guidelines.

While we’re at it: make it easier to take the train! First and last mile problems are important to address, but part of the reason why taking transit continues to be difficult in Los Angeles is that the headways on the trains are too long, especially for transit users who are using multiple modes (which is more than half of train users!). If my bus or drop off to the train station was late, I had to wait 9 minutes for another train during rush hour – way too long for someone who had to be at the office by a particular time. Investing as much as we are in building out new train lines while making it more inconvenient for users of existing transit infrastructure seems incredibly counterproductive.

Political will: I strongly believe that the most important element of improving first / last mile access is not a technical one: it’s political will.

Voters in LA have shown over and over again that they overwhelmingly support improvements to public transit, most recently in passing Measure M in 2016 with more than 70% of people in support. It is because of this widespread voter support that CD4 is able to have these historic investments in new rail. Yet without addressing the issues of first/last mile access to our trains, we are not keeping the promises that Metro and City leaders made to Angelenos. And we will likely fail to meet our broader climate goals for the city, which involve a 39% decrease in our vehicle miles traveled by 2035.

Keeping those promises to voters will require real political courage from councilmembers. Changes in traffic management and reductions in road space for cars have elicited and will continue to elicit loud opposition from some residents. As a result of such vocal opposition, City Councilmembers have mostly used their power over City streets to impede the development of safe, friendly, and accessible routes to and from transit that will encourage people to use the non-car alternatives that we’re building. They have impeded or ignored plans that both Metro has put in place, such as the First Mile Last Mile Strategic Plan, and that the City of Los Angeles has put in place, such as the 2010 Bicycle Plan, the Mobility Plan 2035, and Vision Zero.

We have all of the technical expertise and evidence we need to create an interconnected system of transit that works for users, and that offers safe first / last mile connectivity, much of it codified into the plans listed above. As councilmember, I will wholeheartedly support the planning work that Metro has done and make sure that the City follows through on its own plans.

2. News outlets are reporting that 242 Angelenos were killed in car crashes in 2018, showing that L.A. has failed to make significant progress towards Vision Zero since adopting the policy in 2015. Why do LA’s streets remain so deadly by design? What would you do to make them safer?

Higher speeds lead to greater numbers of deaths in car crashes. This is especially true for pedestrians, whose chances of significant injury or death rise drastically when cars are traveling at speeds higher than 20 mph.

The reason LA’s streets are so deadly is a bleak and simple one: our city’s leaders have chosen the preferences of car drivers over the safety of everyone else. Just last week, a councilmember said outright that if they slowed down car traffic to make the streets safer for other modes, voters would “have our heads on a rail.” As a result, we are facing a reality where Angelenos, primarily residents of color, put their bodies at serious risk every day just trying to cross the street. And instead of working to slow down traffic, the city has increased speed limits all over the city.

However, we do know how to solve these problems. We know where the dangerous streets are. And we know how to design roads to discourage speeding and other forms of unsafe driving. There are a number of evidence-backed methods at our disposal, including protected bike lanes, raised medians, bulb-outs, and daylighting intersections, just to name a few.

As councilmember, I’d move to get safety improvements on every High Injury Network street in my district, and fight to get similar infrastructure in place across the city. I also would not support changes in other parts of the city that will decrease the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

3. Los Angeles’ traffic woes are compounded by the reality that many parents and students don’t feel safe allowing their children to walk or bike to school. Why do you think this is? What would you do as councilmember to improve active transportation options around schools?

This past April, two sisters were hit by a big rig on their way to school as they tried to cross Exposition Boulevard. Both died from their injuries. The driver never even saw them. Five months later, not a single change to the street’s design has even been proposed.

Parents don’t feel safe letting their children walk to school because in most of Los Angeles, they aren’t safe. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one single cause of death of children and adolescents, and our leaders haven’t taken adequate action to protect our youngest, most vulnerable residents from the greatest threat to their lives. It is something I think about so much as the mother of twin preschoolers who walk and use scooters and balance bikes around my neighborhood.

Improving active transportation options around schools and increasing safety will involve investments in street design, and this is something I am committed to doing. These changes will include many of the design interventions described above in the previous two answers.

An important element of executing these improvements is winning community support in advance of implementing changes. Through my work as a founder of the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and as co-chair of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Homelessness Committee, I was able to work with neighborhood councils throughout the region to win their support for much needed local resources for unhoused residents in the area. To obtain this support, SELAH members worked closely with Homelessness Committees and with the wider Councils to educate them on the needs and benefits of such services, and asked them to submit letters and statements in support of such services to the City. We also designed SELAH to bring in as many volunteers as possible. Through SELAH’s outreach, shower, and hot meal programs, hundreds of local residents have been able to volunteer to provide direct services for their unhoused neighbors. Through volunteering and getting educated, they have changed their perceptions of homelessness and many of them have become vocal advocates for more resources.

Similar methods, such as reaching out to Moms Clubs, PTAs, Education Committees on Neighborhood Councils, and other local stakeholders, will be essential in winning the public’s support for slowing traffic and other safety improvements around schools. As someone who has spent much of their career in building coalitions to support change, this is the kind of community outreach that I will prioritize as a Councilmember.

4. Neighborhood councils in CD4, including Silver Lake, Mid City West, and Los Feliz, have all shown strong support for a more bikeable CD4. Despite this, the few bike lanes in CD4 are discontinuous and dump riders out into dangerous thoroughfares. What do you see as the impediments to building out the adopted Mobility Plan 2035’s network of bike infrastructure? Which of the connections in CD4 do you see as a priority and will you push for as councilmember?

The Mobility Plan 2035 is an incredibly powerful weapon we have as a city to improve our air quality and combat climate change. If the City made all of the plan’s recommendations, we would easily meet the goals set by Mayor Garcetti in his Green New Deal to reduce vehicle miles traveled by 2035.

The biggest impediment to building out the network, in my view, is our city’s reluctance to part with on-street parking on major boulevards. There are simply better uses for the space, and no excuses not to have bike lanes on Hollywood and Wilshire Boulevard. There isn’t a recommendation in the Plan that I wouldn’t fight for, though.

5. Please respond to the following questions regarding specific CD4 corridors with known safety issues:

5A. Bike lanes on Rowena Ave. and Silver Lake Blvd. both terminate at Glendale Blvd., leaving a dangerous gap between these lanes and the L.A. River Path. Despite L.A.’s future plans for revitalization of the Los Angeles River, there are no bike lanes that access the entire segment of the L.A. River Path between Elysian Valley and Glendale. What will you do as councilmember to actively push for bike lanes on Glendale Blvd. and Fletcher Dr. to provide families with safe access by bike to the L.A. River Path?

One of the biggest issues with how our bicycle infrastructure has been built in Los Angeles is its lack of interconnectivity.

The lack of bike lanes on Glendale and Fletcher has rendered the Rowena Road Diet much less effective than it could be at getting people out of their cars and onto bikes. There’s no reason not to extend the same design that has made Rowena safer onto those streets. The welcome revitalization of the river makes these fixes all the more necessary.

And we shouldn’t stop just at the small section of Glendale Boulevard between Rowena and Fletcher — while it’s mostly not in my district, the portion of Glendale that runs south to Sunset and beyond is one of the most inhospitable to pedestrians and cyclists in the city, and must be addressed.

5B. Despite unanimous support from the Mid City West Community Council for a road diet on 6th Street to provide an important connection to LACMA and to West Hollywood, and in response to 3 fatalities on the street over 5 years, the office of Council District 4 opted instead for a modest plan that added left turn pockets at one intersection. Will you implement the LADOT-recommended road diet?

Yes. As Mid City expands into a major tourism and transit hub, we have to use every strategy available to prioritize alternative transit modes and street safety.

5C. Hyperion Ave. was recently the site of a horrific crash that took the life of local grandmother, Cristina Garcia. Citing the unsafe conditions of Hyperion, the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council has repeatedly called for safety improvements to this street, which LADOT has determined is part of the High Injury Network. Speed is the predominant factor in determining whether a crash is deadly. Would you support a road diet reconfiguration of Hyperion Ave. to reduce speeding and improve the safety of pedestrians, people on bikes, and turning drivers?

Absolutely. I also believe bike lanes could replace on-street parking on Hyperion between Griffith Park Boulevard and Rowena, creating a continuous network of lanes from Sunset to Glendale Boulevard. And while it’s not in my district, I’d support extending safety measures onto Fountain Ave. by King Middle School — it’s inexcusable to put hundreds of children next to such a dangerous street.

6. Over the past year, we have seen increased use of privately owned and shared mobility electric scooters throughout Los Angeles. What role do you see for this emerging transportation technology, and how can the City of Los Angeles act to ensure safe mobility for all road users during a time when many Angelenos are making shifts in their mobility choices?

Scooters are a flashpoint in LA, but I think that they are an exciting addition to our transit options, particularly as a solution to the aforementioned last-mile problem. Even if the current wave of venture-backed scooter companies close up shop, individuals will continue to use scooters, along with e-bikes and regular bicycles.

Unfortunately, like many things in Los Angeles, our lack of good management of scooters and scooter companies has led to conflicts between them and other users of the streets.

Sarah Kate Levy Questionnaire Response:

1. Los Angeles Metro is constructing and planning multiple transit lines through CD4, including the Purple Line extension, the East Valley Transit Corridor, the Sepulveda corridor line, and the northern extension of the Crenshaw Line. How do you plan to solve the first mile/last mile problem and connect riders to these lines?

As a regular DASH-to-the-Red-Line rider myself, I will advocate for low-cost DASH routes to service all these lines, and I am following with interest the LANow shuttle pilot that is operating on the Westside. I will also insist upon dockless bike and scooter rentals at each station, as well as bike corrals. Most importantly, I will be a champion for creating a network of protected bike lanes across the district that could safely deliver cyclists and scooter-riders to and from these lines.

All Angelenos and visitors to our city should be able to access transit without relying on cars (and parking lots). I would prefer we holistically create a plan to solve first mile/last mile issues rather than let commercial rideshare solely fill the void. As our city holds the distinction for having the worst air quality in the nation, we must do all we can to make public transit convenient, and affordable - or free - to fight the effects that vehicle pollution has wrought on our public health. We must act locally to stall climate change.

2. News outlets are reporting that 242 Angelenos were killed in car crashes in 2018, showing that L.A. has failed to make significant progress towards Vision Zero since adopting the policy in 2015. Why do LA's streets remain so deadly by design? What would you do to make them safer?

L.A. streets remain dangerous because they prioritize cars over people, at the cost of all other modes of transit, from bus and train, to bike, scooter, and foot travel.

Speed limits are too high, too many roads function as busy highways cutting through our neighborhoods. Drivers go many long blocks without crosswalks, stop signs, or stop lights to slow them. Not only is car travel less safe on these fast-moving roads, but because of the drastic lengths between safe crossing points, pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter-riders are encouraged to dash across moving traffic.

This continued focus on cars over people has led us to build out roadways to accommodate even more cars, and create more congestion. Frustrated drivers take dangerous maneuvers through traffic to save time, putting everyone around them at risk.

Our current leadership knows Vision Zero is meant to alleviate these problems -- but they have repeatedly bowed to political pressure over the safety of our residents.

I will fight to make our streets safer by adding more safe crossings for pedestrians, especially in our commercial districts, to encourage people to walk and shop. I will champion protected bike lanes, in a contiguous network throughout the city. I will work with Metro to create protected bus lanes. And I will do all I can to support efforts at the state level to give us more control over our municipal street speeds.

Safer streets save lives, period. Plus they make commuting through this city simpler for all Angelenos.

3. Los Angeles’ traffic woes are compounded by the reality that many parents and students don’t feel safe allowing their children to walk or bike to school. Why do you think this is? What would you do as councilmember to improve active transportation options around schools?

As a mother of four kids, I think it is unacceptable that children continue to die while walking to school in this city. Traffic moves too quickly down many of our streets. Our sidewalks are often narrow, cracked, and absent of tree-cover, creating unsafe conditions for pedestrians. The majority of our existing bike lanes are no safer.  I am in favor of traffic calming measures throughout the city, and especially near our schools.

Our schools should all be serviced by our network of protected bike lanes so that parents and children can bike to and from school.

When examining where to plant new trees, school zones should be a priority, to encourage students and their parents to commute by foot.

Crosswalks near school property should be signaled and lit. I will also pursue other strategies, including crosswalks painted with 3-D effects that make flat paint appear to be solid barriers.

School-zones should feature stop signs and crosswalks at every corner within the legislated area of the school-zone, but we should also consider expanding that practice beyond the posted zone, keeping traffic moving more slowly in a wider radius to our schools.

4. Neighborhood councils in CD4, including Silver Lake, Mid City West, and Los Feliz, have all shown strong support for a more bikeable CD4. Despite this, the few bike lanes in CD4 are discontinuous and dump riders out into dangerous thoroughfares. What do you see as the impediments to building out the adopted Mobility Plan 2035’s network of bike infrastructure? Which of the connections in CD4 do you see as a priority and will you push for as councilmember?

I will champion Mobility Plan 2035 even in the face of negative public opinion because I am committed to making all streets in Council District 4 safe. I will not be deterred by a loud minority when it comes to making choices that will improve the community for everybody.

If each community has a school, a business district, or a park, then we should plan for safe bike and pedestrian travel to, from, and around those places. These efforts will keep Angelenos safe and connected to their community. Increased foot and bike traffic in our communities is a boon to public health, mental health, and business, too.

To successfully build out a network of protected bike lanes, I will prioritize streets in the High Injury Network first.

I see Silver Lake / Los Feliz as the logical place to start. The existing road diet on Rowena has engendered some political support, which has, in turn, led the push for more improvements. By doing more work here, we will show the rest of the district, and the city, how much safer our streets can be.

        SILVER LAKE / LOS FELIZ

I’d extend the road diet on Rowena/Lakewood to Glendale Boulevard and Fletcher -- this could be done without much disruption to traffic flow and would also connect the bike lanes on Silver Lake Blvd to Rowena (and ideally, to Atwater).

The bike lanes on Silver Lake Blvd from Glendale to Van Pelt should be protected lanes. This easy improvement will reap great rewards in public opinion, which will allow for more work.

I’d push for bike lanes on Glendale & Fletcher to the LA River Path (see 5A).

Mobility Plan 2035 calls for bike lanes on Hyperion. The street may be too narrow to support parking-protected bike lanes, but we do need to connect the lanes on Rowena to Griffith Park Blvd. I will work with the community stakeholders and city planners to see how we can make a safe connection on Hyperion.

Re-paving Griffith Park Boulevard is a also priority, for cyclists and drivers alike.

Once all these connections are in place, connecting bike lanes on Silver Lake Blvd to Glendale / Rowena, and to Rowena / Hyperion / Griffith Park Blvd / LA River Path, we will start to see a connected bike system.

        MID CITY / MIRACLE MILE

At the very least, the 4th Street “Bike Boulevard” intersections at Highland and Rossmore should get full traffic signals.

Traffic diverters on some sections of 4th Street are also worth considering, not only to make the “Bike Boulevard” safer to bikes, but also as a hedge against cut-through traffic.

Mid City West Community Council has been working on creating “bike friendly” streets, including Formosa Ave / Cochran Ave. I would strongly advocate implementing the $2.3M Metro grant for Formosa / Cochran, which calls for full bike lanes, as quickly as possible.

I am fully in support of a road diet on 6th Street between La Brea and Fairfax. (See 5B).

Once we see 4th Street / Formosa / Cochran / 6th Street, again, we begin to see a connected network of bike lanes.

        SHERMAN OAKS / TOLUCA LAKE

Connecting cyclists to the LA River Path is a major priority in the Valley, as a way to connect to other communities.

Mobility Plan 2035 calls for bike lanes on Ventura Boulevard. There are a lot of changes I would like to see to make Ventura safer, including those bike lanes, and connecting them to the existing lanes on Woodman and Riverside. I would also build out better-protected infrastructure to those lanes.

Crossings should be installed to connect disconnected portions of the LA River Path, including on Kester between the riverfront trail and Ernie’s Walk.

5. Please respond to the following questions regarding specific CD4 corridors with known safety issues:

5A. Bike lanes on Rowena Ave. and Silver Lake Blvd. both terminate at Glendale Blvd., leaving a dangerous gap between these lanes and the L.A. River Path. Despite L.A.’s future plans for revitalization of the Los Angeles River, there are no bike lanes that access the entire segment of the L.A. River Path between Elysian Valley and Glendale. What will you do as councilmember to actively push for bike lanes on Glendale Blvd. and Fletcher Dr. to provide families with safe access by bike to the L.A. River Path?

Creating safe access by bike to the LA River Path will be a priority for my office. Regular cyclists demand it, and for many families, the LA River Path is a preferred recreational route, too.

I support a road diet on Glendale Boulevard that would add bike lanes, ADA compliant sidewalks, and a center turn lane. The center turn lane would improve traffic flow and safety for cars turning left onto Riverside; the bike lanes would not only connect to the River Path, but also connect Silver Lake and Atwater. As there is minimal parking along this stretch, I would push for the bike lanes to be designed as protected bike lanes, to keep families safe as they crossed to the LA River Path.

5B. Despite unanimous support from the Mid City West Community Council for a road diet on 6th Street to provide an important connection to LACMA and to West Hollywood, and in response to 3 fatalities on the street over 5 years, the office of Council District 4 opted instead for a modest plan that added left turn pockets at one intersection. Will you implement the LADOT-recommended road diet?

Yes. This  stretch of road is part of the High Injury Network. The road diet was supported by the MCWCC, who conducted a lot of outreach to get the neighborhood behind it. I will push for a plan that includes bike lanes.

5C. Hyperion Ave. was recently the site of a horrific crash that took the life of local grandmother, Cristina Garcia. Citing the unsafe conditions of Hyperion, the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council has repeatedly called for safety improvements to this street, which LADOT has determined is part of the High Injury Network. Speed is the predominant factor in determining whether a crash is deadly. Would you support a road diet reconfiguration of Hyperion Ave. to reduce speeding and improve the safety of pedestrians, people on bikes, and turning drivers?

Yes. I am angry, but not surprised, that the community asked the Councilmember for help, repeatedly, and were met with silence. I’m also angered by the recent LADOT report that tried to wipe the City of blame by citing rain and speed as the culprits in Cristina Garcia’s death. Rain is an act of god, but speed is a factor the City can control -- and should have. They knew this road was unsafe. Cristina Garcia should not be dead.

6. Over the past year, we have seen increased use of privately owned and shared mobility electric scooters throughout Los Angeles. What role do you see for this emerging transportation technology, and how can the City of Los Angeles act to ensure safe mobility for all road users during a time when many Angelenos are making shifts in their mobility choices?

The scooters are here to stay (until the next wave of mobility tech arrives). I believe that the new City rules that put scooters in the street are irresponsible in the extreme. I already worry for cyclists sharing the road, and I have that same fear for scooter riders.

1. Los Angeles Metro is constructing and planning multiple transit lines through CD4, including the Purple Line extension, the East Valley Transit Corridor, the Sepulveda corridor line, and the northern extension of the Crenshaw Line. How do you plan to solve the first mile/last mile problem and connect riders to these lines?

Los Angeles is one of only a handful of global cities without a network of point-to-point public transportation options, and I am proud to have endorsed and advocated for the Measure M ballot measure and expenditure plan. For CD 4 residents, particularly those in the San Fernando Valley who have endured daily gridlock on the 405 Freeway or canyon roads, these projects will open up employment and recreational opportunities previously beyond reach, and afford parents with more time to spend with their children before they leave for school in the morning and before they go to sleep at night.

Equally important, however, are the first-last mile options that tie this network together and ensure Angelenos are able to travel safely from their point of origin to the nearest mass transit station and then to their destination. According to MTA data, a sizeable majority of Metro users arrive at their station or stop by walking, biking, or rolling. Still, the City’s first-last mile options and infrastructure are incomplete. Shared use services, inter-modal connectivity, way-finding signage and the infrastructure including bike lanes, bike parking, sidewalks and crosswalks, to support multi-modal connectivity require vision, investment and our support.

To this end, I paved the way for the first privately held bike-share company to roll out in the City of Los Angeles, in Griffith Park in early 2017. Then, in October 2017, I introduced legislation instructing the Department of Transportation to develop rules, regulations and a permit system to allow dockless bicycles and scooters to operate in the City of Los Angeles. Multi-modal options to bridge the first-last mile gap are now in no short supply due, in part, to my efforts to kick-off the City’s permitting and regulation of dockless vehicles. One of the reasons that bike lane advocacy has had a bumpy road is due to the limited number of people who proportionally use bikes/scooters versus cars or walking. By providing thousands more Angelenos access to bikes and scooters, we’ve increased awareness of the every-day experiences faced by bike users, hopefully evening the playing field in future debates over road safety and reduce the contentiousness over discussions about road reconfigurations.

Still, the infrastructure required to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe on our roads is not adequate. If re-elected to serve the residents of Council District 4, I will continue to lead the City’s efforts to build out a robust multi-modal portfolio, advocate for the installation of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and work to ensure all road users are safe to use the lanes and paths that we build.

2. News outlets are reporting that 242 Angelenos were killed in car crashes in 2018, showing that L.A. has failed to make significant progress towards Vision Zero since adopting the policy in 2015. Why do LA's streets remain so deadly by design? What would you do to make them safer?

Vision Zero is a highly ambitious program aimed at eliminating traffic related fatalities by 2025. And while we haven’t seen the results we had hoped for in its first few years, I disagree with the characterization that the program has been a failure. The Los Angeles City Council has invested tens-of-millions of dollars in Vision Zero programming and improvements over the last two years and the narrative around safe, pedestrian and bicycle friendly streets has fundamentally changed.

The City of Los Angeles is responsible for maintaining and improving roughly 28,000 lane miles of streets. The 40 priority corridors selected at the outset of Vision Zero and the approximately 450 miles of roadway on the High Injury Network represent just over 6 percent of the City’s streets, and as much as I would like to have achieved our projected reductions in traffic related injuries and fatalities in year one, improvements of this nature require time to design, fund and construct.

The City’s Vision Zero priorities are on the right track and if re-elected I’ll continue to work toward a City in which all road users are able to travel safely. This means pursuing a data driven approach to our work and making sure the improvements we implement are a direct response to the types of collisions we’re seeing. This means exploring a whole host of mitigations, including safe sidewalks, crosswalks, signal and lighting improvements, bump outs, and protected bicycle lanes, among others. And this means making sure our roads remain in a state of good repair so the safety improvements we make aren’t compromised by their underlying poor quality. The Mayor’s proposed Fiscal Year 2019-20 Vision Zero budget is over $51 million, a more than 40 percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget. I intend to vote in support of the proposal and look forward to working with LADOT to make our City safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.

Finally, we need increased enforcement of distracted driving and prosecutions of distracted motorists who hit pedestrians and cyclists. Far too often, drivers feel comfortable using their mobile phones while driving and even drivers who hit, maim, or kill pedestrians and cyclists are not charged. This needs to end. LAPD should be encouraged, as a matter of policy, to enforce hands-free distraction-free driving rules and the District Attorney should charge drivers, especially the recent rash of hit-and-run incidents to send a message to all drivers that distracted driving is lethal.

3. Los Angeles’ traffic woes are compounded by the reality that many parents and students don’t feel safe allowing their children to walk or bike to school. Why do you think this is? What would you do as councilmember to improve active transportation options around schools?

I’ve heard from residents throughout the City about their children’s safety walking to and from school. Those concerns are multi-faceted and related to security, the high volume of cut-through traffic along school routes, and a lack of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

Part of the challenge we’ve encountered is that routes to schools in CD 4 are relatively safe in comparison to schools in other areas of the City, and as such, at a disadvantage for competitive funding and improvements. Secondly, Safe Routes to Schools funding has traditionally been restricted to schools and routes in need of corridor-wide improvements. The school routes in need of improvement that we’ve identified in CD 4 require individual crosswalks, curb cuts, sidewalks and signage. Unfortunately, these schools, routes and improvements don’t qualify for Safe Routes to Schools funding under the current program methodology.

If re-elected, I will continue to work to identify funding and creative solutions for the improvements that my office has identified. I’ll also look to alter the funding methodology used to select the schools and corridors slated for improvement. Additionally, the City and LAUSD should collaborate to identify and establish routes to schools that are equipped with the appropriate safety infrastructure and the least amount of vehicular traffic.

4. Neighborhood councils in CD4, including Silver Lake, Mid City West, and Los Feliz, have all shown strong support for a more bikeable CD4. Despite this, the few bike lanes in CD4 are discontinuous and dump riders out into dangerous thoroughfares. What do you see as the impediments to building out the adopted Mobility Plan 2035’s network of bike infrastructure? Which of the connections in CD4 do you see as a priority and will you push for as councilmember?

The development of the Mobility Plan 2035 was a groundbreaking effort to identify hundreds of miles of new bicycle lanes, bus-only lanes and other road redesigns to make our streets safer. I was proud to have worked with the Departments of City Planning and Transportation to help craft and approve the Plan during my first year in office and will continue to push for its implementation. This means investing in technology and infrastructure, providing a variety of multi-modal options through public-private partnerships, ensuring our streets are in a state of good repair, equipped with pedestrian and bicycle-friendly infrastructure, and safe for all road users.

I’m very appreciative of the input and insight provided by the neighborhood councils in CD 4 and will continue to advocate for the implementation of each of the bike lanes included on the Mobility Plan’s Bicycle Enhanced Network in CD 4. It’s my job, however, to represent the interests of each and every one of CD 4’s 300,000 residents. This means thinking holistically about the benefits as well as the impacts of bicycle lanes – the affects they’ll have on connectivity in areas of the district that have spotty public transportation options and the safety of installing unprotected bicycle lanes in heavily trafficked areas of the City.

Prioritizing bike lanes and connectivity options on local and collector streets such as Riverside Drive in the San Fernando Valley and 4th Street in Mid-City may be more viable options in the short term and provide proof of concept for the installation of bicycle lanes in neighborhoods that have expressed concerns with their installation. Making sure we’re doing the necessary outreach, engaging in a robust public education/information campaign and gathering input from the community at large is very important to me.

5. Please respond to the following questions regarding specific CD4 corridors with known safety issues:

5A. Bike lanes on Rowena Ave. and Silver Lake Blvd. both terminate at Glendale Blvd., leaving a dangerous gap between these lanes and the L.A. River Path. Despite L.A.’s future plans for revitalization of the Los Angeles River, there are no bike lanes that access the entire segment of the L.A. River Path between Elysian Valley and Glendale. What will you do as councilmember to actively push for bike lanes on Glendale Blvd. and Fletcher Dr. to provide families with safe access by bike to the L.A. River Path?

The revitalization of the Los Angeles River provides us with a tremendous opportunity to connect communities, cultures and build a healthier, more sustainable Los Angeles. Which is why I allocated $500K in October 2015 for the construction of the De Anza Bike Path along the LA River and seeks to create a contiguous bike path along the banks of the LA River. Further, as Chair of the City’s Health, Education, Neighborhoods, Parks, Arts and River Committee, it’s my goal to lead that discussion and usher in investments that connect Angelenos to the River in a variety of ways. Connectivity from Rowena Ave. and Silverlake Blvd. to the Los Angeles River continues to be a concern for me and Glendale Blvd. and Fletcher Dr. provide us with good options to close those gaps. I’m committed to doing the necessary community outreach, engaging in a robust public education/information campaign gathering input from the community at large and closing the gaps that exist in the network between Rowena Ave. and Silver Lake Blvd. and the LA River.

5B. Despite unanimous support from the Mid City West Community Council for a road diet on 6th Street to provide an important connection to LACMA and to West Hollywood, and in response to 3 fatalities on the street over 5 years, the office of Council District 4 opted instead for a modest plan that added left turn pockets at one intersection. Will you implement the LADOT-recommended road diet?

First, even one fatality or potential for a fatal accident, is something we want to eliminate, and my thoughts are with all the families and friends of those who have been injured or killed in traffic related collisions on our streets.

It’s tremendously important, however, that we’re all working with the same information when having these discussions. The “road diet” proposal for 6th Street between Fairfax and La Brea didn’t come from the Department of Transportation. The proposal originated with members of the Mid City West Community Council’s Transportation Committee who asked a DOT traffic engineer about its viability. It was indicated that it was an option the Department could evaluate and the Community Council reached out to my office and requested that DOT implement the lane reconfiguration.

My office contacted senior traffic engineers at the Department to explore the proposal. We obtained collision data for the corridor, received descriptions of the circumstances surrounding the three fatalities, reviewed the most recent speed surveys and engaged the wider community in the discussion. My staff and I walked this section of 6th Street with senior DOT traffic engineers on three separate occasions to evaluate the existing road conditions, configuration, and the circumstances surrounding each of the aforementioned fatalities.

Data showed a disproportionate number of vehicle collisions occurring at 6th Street and Hauser, 6th Street and Cochran, and 6th Street and La Brea. Two of the fatalities occurred at 6th and Hauser, one being the result of an unsafe left turn onto northbound Hauser and the other when a cyclist was struck by a driver making a left turn onto southbound Hauser. The third fatality at 6th and Spaulding occurred when a pedestrian was attempting to access the Tar Pits Park and was struck by a vehicle travelling east on 6th. The most recent speed survey indicated that the 85th percentile speed along this stretch of 6th is consistent with the existing posted speed limit.

My office released a survey and hosted an open house along with DOT to get feedback on a series of potential changes, including the proposed road diet. We received more than 700 responses from community members, 63% of whom opposed the installation of a road diet. The Department of Transportation with support from my office subsequently implemented a series of improvements that were a direct response to the types of accidents we had been seeing. Additionally, my office has identified funding and is working with the Department of Transportation, and Bureaus of Street Services and Street Lighting to install a signalized crosswalk at 6th and Spaulding which should be coming online very soon.

I will always remain open to good ideas that improve the safety of CD 4 residents, including the proposed road diet for 6th Street, but like the improvements that have already been made, these solutions need to be rooted in and supported by available data and evidence. The “road diet” is just one tool in the Department’s tool box to make our streets safer, and they should be considered when speed is determined to be a factor in traffic collisions. Once again, it’s my job to represent all stakeholders in CD 4 and any traffic improvements or road reconfigurations deserve to be evaluated by the wider community and should be the most effective solution to the types of collisions we’re seeing.

5C. Hyperion Ave. was recently the site of a horrific crash that took the life of local grandmother, Cristina Garcia. Citing the unsafe conditions of Hyperion, the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council has repeatedly called for safety improvements to this street, which LADOT has determined is part of the High Injury Network. Speed is the predominant factor in determining whether a crash is deadly. Would you support a road diet reconfiguration of Hyperion Ave. to reduce speeding and improve the safety of pedestrians, people on bikes, and turning drivers?

The tragic collision and fatality that occurred on January 16, 2019 on Hyperion Ave. was truly unfortunate. After hearing of the accident, my office reached out to LAPD and LADOT to inquire about the circumstances of the collision and any mitigations that could be put in place to prevent accidents like this in the future. Both LAPD and LADOT determined that a driver travelling at unsafe speeds in wet conditions was the primary cause of the collision, and on March 29, 2019 I sent a letter to LADOT reiterating the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council’s concerns and formally requesting recommendations for safety improvements on Hyperion Blvd.

LADOT and LAPD recommended a series of short-term improvements, including pedestrian only phasing at the intersection of Fountain Ave. and Effie St., continental crosswalks at Fountain Ave. and Hyperion Ave, all-way stops at multiple intersections, and my office provided funding for speed feedback signs on Hyperion Ave., among other improvements. But these are merely short-term mitigations. My office will be working with LADOT and the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council to form a Hyperion Ave. Traffic Safety working group to identify and implement solutions to the most critical safety issues. If it is determined that road diet is the most effective solution to keep residents and road users safe, then I’ll work to earn the support of the wider community and implement the reconfiguration.

6. Over the past year, we have seen increased use of privately owned and shared mobility electric scooters throughout Los Angeles. What role do you see for this emerging transportation technology, and how can the City of Los Angeles act to ensure safe mobility for all road users during a time when many Angelenos are making shifts in their mobility choices?

I’ve been working to identify opportunities for the City to prepare for and roll out new multi-modal technologies since taking office. In September 2016, I introduced a motion instructing the Department of Transportation to report back to the City Council on benefits of implementing an ‘autonomous transit’ city through the use of self-driving cars, buses, and shuttles, and the steps that should be taken to prepare for the arrival of autonomous vehicles. And in October 2017, I introduced a motion instructing LADOT to develop a regulatory framework and permit process for a dockless vehicle program in Los Angeles and in collaboration with LADOT developed the shared mobility pilot in operation on our streets today.

I try to be realistic in my assessments of LA’s transportation future and I understand that point-to-point public transportation is a very distant possibility. Privately owned and shared mobility options are going to be essential pieces of our City’s transportation infrastructure. As Angelenos become more comfortable with shared mobility options and more frequent users of dockless vehicles the City will need to develop rules and regulations and invest in the infrastructure required to keep riders safe. This should include building out the bicycle enhanced network envisioned in the Mobility Plan 2035, addressing connectivity issues in the system and where possible enhancing existing bike lanes with additional protections – curb running lanes, buffered lanes and bollard protected lanes, among others.

CD12 Candidate: Carlos Amador

Carlos Amador’s response to our questionnaire is informed by his own experience as a survivor of a hit-and-run, car-vs.-bicycle collision that sent him to the emergency room. Citing that experience, Amador supports prioritizing safety improvements on L.A.’s High Injury Network and implementing protected bike lanes on streets like Parthenia Street. He opposes raising speed limits on 12th District streets and supports alternatives to traffic enforcement, including redesign of neighborhood streets and educational programs.

Amador offers a range of helpful policy ideas to improve mobility options and help key segments of the 12th District community to get around without driving, including leveraging Measure M funds to improve street safety; creating more affordable housing for workers and students; and providing more tailored transportation options for seniors. With that kind of platform, voters and safe streets advocates will be well-served by Amador as councilmember.

Bike The Vote L.A. 2019 Primary Grade: A

[Click HERE for Carlos Amador’s questionnaire response to Bike The Vote L.A.]

CD12 Candidate: Loraine Lundquist

In her response to our questionnaire, Loraine Lundquist impresses with her deep knowledge and detailed platform on transportation. A faculty member at the Institute for Sustainability at Cal State Northridge, Lundquist has clearly done her homework, and it shows in her comprehensive policy prescriptions addressing infrastructure, bus service, carpooling, land use, tree canopy, ADA accessibility, and more. As a member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council, she has put that understanding of safe streets to work, sponsoring the Mobility Bill of Rights. She’s willing to do what it takes to prioritize safety for people walking and biking, pledging to use data to target the district’s most dangerous intersections and implement needed changes.

Lundquist also emphasizes her personal stake in improving active transportation, citing her own daily bike commute to campus and her family’s reliance on transit to get around their neighborhood. Between her personal choices and her professional focus, Bike The Vote L.A. is confident that improving mobility options across the 12th District will be a high priority for Lundquist as a councilmember, and that she’ll be a valuable ally for safe streets advocates on the L.A. City Council.

Bike The Vote L.A. 2019 Primary Grade: A

[Click HERE for Loraine Lundquist’s questionnaire response to Bike The Vote L.A.]

CD12 Candidate: Stella Maloyan

Stella Maloyan’s response to our questionnaire can be summed up with one exceptional quote: “Vision Zero is insufficient. We need Action Zero.” While she doesn’t call anyone out by name, Maloyan makes clear that she’s dissatisfied with the inadequate pace of progress on the City’s signature street safety initiative, pointing out the hypocrisy of politicians who talk a good game on the need to address climate change but continue to stand in the way of meaningful improvements that would make it easier for more people to walk and bike.

Maloyan is committed to getting 10 miles of protected bike lanes installed throughout the 12th District in her first term, including a route connecting Cal State Northridge to Metrolink. At the same time, she pledges to work hard at engagement and coalition building so that crucial improvements gain lasting support from the community. Between her strong commitment to safe streets and her background in the nonprofit sector, Stella Maloyan is poised to be a strong and effective ally for bike and pedestrian advocates on the City Council.

Bike The Vote L.A. 2019 Primary Grade: A

[Click HERE for Stella Maloyan’s questionnaire response to Bike The Vote L.A.]

CD12 Candidate: John Lee

John Lee served as Chief of Staff to CD12’s previous councilmember, Mitch Englander, and understands the need to make 12th District streets safer for all users and supports the idea of creating more protected bike lanes and other improvements; however, his response left a lot to the imagination as to what kinds of changes—in infrastructure, policy, funding, etc.—that he’s willing to actually champion. In his response to Bike The Vote L.A., Lee emphasizes the need to engage community stakeholders and keep a range of options open in consideration of roadway safety. While we would hope to see a stronger commitment to prioritizing safety on city streets, we’re hopeful that, should he be elected to City Council, Lee will give safe streets advocates the consideration they deserve during that process.

Bike The Vote L.A. 2019 Primary Grade: B-

[Click HERE for John Lee’s questionnaire response to Bike The Vote L.A.]

CD12 Candidate: Josh Yeager

In his response to Bike The Vote L.A., Josh Yeager expresses that he supports expanding mobility options for the 12th District and suggests helpful safety improvements such as all-direction pedestrian crossings and neighborhood traffic calming. However, his stated opposition to reallocate travel lanes or parking lanes—even where necessary to reorient deadly streets towards safety—makes us doubt that he’d be an ally for bike and pedestrian advocates when tough decisions need to be made.

Bike The Vote L.A. 2019 Primary Grade: C-

1. What role do you see for walking, transit, and biking in the getting residents and students in Council District 12 to and from local businesses, parks, and schools?

The city of Los Angeles seems to be living two different realities. On the one hand, we have some regions with forward-looking developments of biking infrastructures like the ones seen in downtown LA, pedestrian-friendly initiatives with diagonal crosswalks, and public transportation infrastructure booms that aim to make the city more accessible to the residents and less reliable on cars. At the same time, there are parts of the city, including the Council District 12, that have been neglected on developing a vision to make the streets in the region more bike-friendly, pedestrian accessible, and transit reliable.

There is that same-old argument that it is the “car culture” of Los Angeles that does not allow for such people-centered models in the city to take place. But, I believe, it is the city’s leaders who have not allowed for such initiatives to really flourish and change the culture in our region. I believe that if we want to see our city, and in particular the northwest San Fernando Valley, be fully accessible to all. There is a critical role that walking, biking, and transit accessibility for residents, workers, and students will play in improving the health of our communities, tackling climate change, and have a true right to the city. My role as a city council member to achieve this vision will be to provide the existing resources for the community, champion the necessary policy changes, and facilitate the conversations at the district level.

2. Thirty-eight percent of Cal State University, Northridge students do not have access to a car for their daily commute. What actions can Los Angeles take to make the CSUN campus more accessible for students, staff, and faculty including better bike, pedestrian, and transit connectivity around the campus? Additionally, do you support implementation of protected bike lanes on Parthenia Street to connect Metrolink Northridge Station to existing protected bike lanes on Reseda Boulevard?

Cal State University, Northridge, in many ways, is the heart and soul of the San Fernando Valley. It is the only public university in the valley where the next generation of workers, thinkers, and leaders go to gain the tools to improve their communities. It is also a cultural and economic center, providing opportunities to the surrounding communities to access jobs, education, and cultural events beyond the classroom. But, access to the university continues to be an issue for students, staff, and faculty alike. As a city council member, I will work with university administrators, state, county, and city officials to expedite the transit developments in the northwest San Fernando Valley under Measure M and other transit funded projects. This will help increase the accessibility to the university for everyone. I will work on expanding the current bus routes connectors, and work with university administrators in seeking avenues to expand the funding for vanpools and public transit passes. I am in full support of implementing protected bike lanes on Parthenia St. to connect the Metrolink Northridge station to existing bike lanes on Reseda Boulevard. I will also support the implementation of additional protected bike lanes in the surrounded areas, expanding the network beyond the immediate university radius. Finally, I believe that we must look into community-conscious affordable housing development so students, staff, and faculty can live closer to campus and decrease the need to travel long distances.

3. CD12 sees some of L.A.’s worst speeding and street racing, with three out of the top five most dangerous intersections in all of California located within the District. In response to the condition of dangerous streets across the city, Los Angeles adopted a ‘Vision Zero’ program with the goal of significantly reducing the 240+ annual roadway deaths that the City currently sees. Do you support prioritizing safety on L.A.’s High Injury Network streets in CD12 such as Reseda, Roscoe, and Balboa Boulevards, even when there may be trade-offs in terms of automotive travel time or on-street parking?

As a bicycle rider, a survivor of a car-bicycle collision, and parent of a four year old girl who enjoys riding her own bike, I am in strong support of policies that strengthen protections for bicycle riders, pedestrians, and people moving through our streets in alternative modes of transportation.

In December 2011, while heading home from work on my bicycle, I was struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run collision. The exact moment of the impact has been erased from my memory due to the concussion, but as I recovered my consciousness laying on the pavement, I remember asking a passer-byer to call my wife. The next memory I have is riding on the ambulance to the emergency room. That night I spent it in the emergency room recovering from the injuries. Thankfully, the injuries that I endured during the accident were relatively minor. And, I am happy to be able to continue to ride my bicycle.

Because of my own experience, I know first hand the importance of having strong policies in place to decrease the number of accidents and fatalities in our streets. To tackle street racing, we must take a community-driven approach where stakeholders from across the district come together and chart out a plan of action. As a council member I will bring community leaders, leaders of neighborhood councils, schools, surrounding colleges, and LAPD, to design and launch a program that creates education and community-accountability to decrease the number of street races in the valley.

And, I am in support of prioritizing safety on LA’s High Injury Network streets in Council District 12. Ultimately, the vision zero program should not only be about how we reduce the staggering numbers of roadway deaths, but how we envision a city where pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicle drivers, can co-exists in an equitable way.

4. LADOT has determined that speed is the predominant factor in whether traffic collisions are deadly. Despite this fact, Los Angeles recently increased speed limits on 100 miles of local streets to abide by state law, including raising the speed limit to 45 mph on Winnetka Ave., Wilbur Ave. & Reseda Blvd. in CD12. Would you support implementation of lane reductions and other traffic calming infrastructure in order to reduce vehicle speeds on surface streets in CD12?

I agree that a main factor on whether a collision leads to a death has to do with the speed that the cars are traveling at. I also agree that there is a speeding problem across the city that must be addressed. But, I disagree with the decision to increase the speed limits in order to enforce speeding laws. The way to address speeding issues in our streets is not by following the framework a decades-old state law, nor is it by setting speed traps across the city. As a council member, I will support alternative models to address the issue of speeding on our streets, including lane reductions, radar speed signs to alert drivers, and community educational programs, among others.

5. Los Angeles’ traffic woes are compounded by the reality that many parents, students, and workers don’t feel safe commuting even short distances or performing school drop-offs walking, rolling, or by bike. What would you do as Councilmember to improve active transportation options around schools, public transit, and in commercial districts to provide better mobility options for CD12 residents?

Our city streets should be equally shared with pedestrians and bicycle riders. But, one of the main reasons why community members do not feel safe traveling short distances on foot or by bike is the lack of safety on the streets. As a council member of the 12th district, I will work with community-based groups and transportation groups to identify and implement a robust protected bike lane system throughout the region. Everyone should have the opportunity to walk, ride their bikes, or use public transportation, whether to do school drop-offs, grocery runs, or do the daily errands. But, another factor that impacts the ability to walk or bike to do errands on the regular basis is the fact that for the majority of working adults in the district, their jobs are not close by. That means that working people need to spend longer times commuting to and from work, which limits the amount of time available to do school drop-offs or do errands by foot or bike. As a city council member, I will focus on bringing and keeping good-paying jobs in and around the district, so working people can spend less time commuting and more time in their communities. I will also take advantage of the Measure M transit infrastructure projects in the region to develop more Transit Oriented Communities. Developing community-conscious housing around major transit projects will shift our communities from being car-reliant, to becoming oriented around the local community.

6. While one of Los Angeles most recently developed districts, CD12 also has the largest senior population by percentage in the city. What improvements to mobility options would you implement to empower CD12's senior population to comfortably age in place?

1. What role do you see for walking, transit, and biking in the getting residents and students in Council District 12 to and from local businesses, parks, and schools?

In many ways, I've been trying to live my vision for LA transportation. Since we got our big yellow cargo bike about five years ago, my family and I have logged more than 5,000 miles biking around CD12 to go to work, school, the park, the library, the grocery store, the dentist, and all the other places a busy family travels. When going further afield, we take public transit – including local bus lines (167, 236, 166, 158, and more), the Orange Line, MetroLink, and the Commuter Express – as our primary mode of transportation. So when I talk about what works and what doesn't about CD12 transportation, I know from personal experience.

Transportation affects our quality of life in so many different ways – time, money, air quality, and even the opportunities to interact with one another as we move through our community. While LA has historically been the car capital of the world, we must re-envision both the culture and infrastructure for LA transportation. Specifically, LA’s Sustainability pLAn envisions 50% of all trips originating in LA are made by foot, bike, or transit by 2035 -- an ambitious goal which we may nevertheless find insufficient once we get serious about tackling our climate crisis.

Improve multi-modal infrastructure. We have a long way to go. We've inherited a transportation infrastructure designed for cars with acres of impervious surfaces devoted to wide roads and parking lots. We need to enhance these corridors for multi-modal transit with dedicated bus lanes, bike lanes, and green spaces that enhance walkability. CD12's bicycle infrastructure is currently fragmented, and bus service is infrequent on most lines.

Make transit more accessible and more attractive. Our current transportation network does not serve everyone equally. My students at CSUN often cannot afford their own vehicles and spend hours each day riding transit while people with more money can get rapidly from one place to the next in private vehicles or ride hailing. This lost time translates to lost opportunity. Every person deserves the right to move freely around our city regardless of their age or economic means. That's why I support the Mobility Bill of Rights and introduced a motion that my Neighborhood Council to formally endorse it. As a member of LA City Council, I will advocate that transit within the City and Metro systems be free to all. Increased ridership will decrease congestion and allow us to provide a wider range of transit options (including more routes, more frequent service, and more lines with 'rapid' and 'local' options to serve people traveling different distances on the same routes).

Make long-term planning decisions that re-think the use of space in our City. LA grows by 20,000-30,000 people each year. That means we need to find housing for a quarter million new people in the next decade (US Census). With relatively few new places to build, increasing density is the reasonable solution. Yet here in CD 12, many people live here, moved here, or stay here because they enjoy the suburban feel. We can maintain this suburban feel for much of the valley while also creating urban nodes within the larger suburban landscape. These urban nodes should be near transit hubs with mixed-use residential and commercial spaces with large sidewalks, trees, bike lanes, and other amenities that make mutli-modal transportation appealing and natural. Increasing density in this form will build community and economic activity, reduce commute times for many, and generally improve quality of life in the valley.

2. Thirty-eight percent of Cal State University, Northridge students do not have access to a car for their daily commute. What actions can Los Angeles take to make the CSUN campus more accessible for students, staff, and faculty including better bike, pedestrian, and transit connectivity around the campus? Additionally, do you support implementation of protected bike lanes on Parthenia Street to connect Metrolink Northridge Station to existing protected bike lanes on Reseda Boulevard?

As a CSUN employee, I commute to campus by bicycle. At CSUN, two important transportation constituencies require different solutions: students living within a few miles of campus and students that commute longer distances. According to a robust CSUN survey, about 60% of CSUN students would be willing to take transit to campus if it were convenient, and convenience is the number one priority for the majority of students due to their busy lives commuting between work, home, and campus.

Enhanced local transportation options for the 35% of CSUN students that live within 5 miles of campus. Thousands of these students remain underserved by our local transit lines that run infrequently and are not timed well to CSUN class schedules. One idea to consider is a local shuttle service that circulates on major arteries in the communities around CSUN. No transit system will be perfect, especially when it comes to the 'last mile' -- which is why bikes and other wheeled transportation should be an important piece of local transit planning. Our busses need more bike capacity for students to be able to depend upon them.

Enhanced regional transit for the remaining students that commute from long distances. In response to student complaints of parking delays and neighbors frustrated by students parking in surrounding areas, the campus has prioritized building new parking, including the Zelzah/Plummer parking structure. The campus made this $26 million investment in car culture and we look forward to comparable capital investments to accommodate bus rapid transit station(s) and eventual rail line expected in coming years through measure M dollars. It’s important these travel next to CSUN with a stop at CSUN.

Carpooling. The campus has attempted to link its class registration system to a carpool planning web application, but the system is under-utilized. I support CSUN offering greater incentives for carpooling such as preferred parking or financial payouts. Compared to the cost of parking and transit infrastructure, these incentives could be cost-effective.

Metrolink connectivity. Only about 2% of CSUN students commute by Metrolink. We clearly need a better interconnected network of bike routes. Allowing a smooth ride from Metrolink to CSUN requires additional interconnectivity. I support a community dialog among riders, planners, and community members to determine the optimal way to accomplish this connectivity. Ideas include connecting a pedestrian bridge to Vanalden Park along with improved bicycle infrastructure through the residential communities along Vanalden and Prairie, moving the entire Metrolink station east to Reseda, or establishing a protected bike lanes along the industrial/commercial corridor of Parthenia.

3. CD12 sees some of L.A.’s worst speeding and street racing, with three out of the top five most dangerous intersections in all of California located within the District. In response to the condition of dangerous streets across the city, Los Angeles adopted a ‘Vision Zero’ program with the goal of significantly reducing the 240+ annual roadway deaths that the City currently sees. Do you support prioritizing safety on L.A.’s High Injury Network streets in CD12 such as Reseda, Roscoe, and Balboa Boulevards, even when there may be trade-offs in terms of automotive travel time or on-street parking?

One of the recent fatal street racing crashes occurred two blocks from my house and the community still decorates the location of the crash for every holiday – even two years later. I've witnessed half a dozen non-injury accidents at the same intersection over the last few years, and this is not even one of the top five most dangerous.

I support safety improvements such as the ones implemented by Vision Zero. As a CSUN faculty member, I advised a group of my students who came up with a specific plan for improving the intersection of Reseda and Devonshire. They presented to the local neighborhood council and canvassed the area to assess local support for the ideas, which was high. A local news network interviewed one of my students (and myself) about the intersection and their proposal. Drawing attention to the problem is a first step, but I plan to implement designs like theirs at intersections in our district that badly need them.

Vision Zero has implemented a number of safety improvements to city streets, but only about five of them are within CD12 (and two of those are not even on High Injury Network streets). I will ensure that CD12 gets its fair share of these important resources and they are targeted to the sections of street that need them most. We have data that show us which intersections these are, but we do not seem to be targeting them effectively.

Going further, I recently presented a plan to the Los Angeles Police Department for creating a mobility task force made up of LAPD leadership and community members that would elevate help elevate traffic violence to the level of attention it deserves to protect public safety. While our neighborhood councils, neighborhood watch meetings, and Senior Lead Officer reports routinely include reports of car break-ins and burglaries, they often do not include detailed reports on the traffic violence that claims so many lives in our communities. As councilmember, I will work with public safety groups and our police force can bring greater attention to both the problems and solutions to these deaths and injuries.

4. LADOT has determined that speed is the predominant factor in whether traffic collisions are deadly. Despite this fact, Los Angeles recently increased speed limits on 100 miles of local streets to abide by state law, including raising the speed limit to 45 mph on Winnetka Ave., Wilbur Ave. & Reseda Blvd. in CD12. Would you support implementation of lane reductions and other traffic calming infrastructure in order to reduce vehicle speeds on surface streets in CD12?

The data are clear that traffic calming measures reduce crashes. And the effect is not small: 19-42% according to the US Department of Transportation. While increased safety is important, I am also excited about the opportunities that these changes present our communities. While lane reductions are commonly called 'road diets', they can be more accurately thought of as 'road buffets' because of the increased options of a space devoted to a broader range of transportation options that make walking, biking, and public transit. I also support robust and continued input from the community via neighborhood councils and other interest groups before, during, and after implementation of road buffets to ensure they are meeting community needs.

5. Los Angeles’ traffic woes are compounded by the reality that many parents, students, and workers don’t feel safe commuting even short distances or performing school drop-offs walking, rolling, or by bike. What would you do as Councilmember to improve active transportation options around schools, public transit, and in commercial districts to provide better mobility options for CD12 residents?

Children should be able to walk or bike to school. There are both safety and cultural issues that spur some people to prefer driving over walking.

Pedestrian fatalities have steadily dropped over the decades despite the fact that vehicle miles traveled have skyrocketed. Unfortunately, this trend recently began to reverse and fatalities seem to be going up over the last decade. One part of this growth could be that cell phone technology distracts drivers and pedestrians. Society is still grappling with how to deal with distracted driving. Both technology and education are evolving, and our city needs to invest more in education and outreach about safe driving, walking, and biking practices as part of its efforts to transform transportation.

To encourage more children to walk or ride to school, I propose that more schools organize 'walking school buses.' Groups of children traveling together are much more visible and therefore safer than individual children. Intersections with high traffic flow near schools should have higher visibility crossing systems, longer crossing times, and (in some cases) raised crosswalks or pedestrian islands.

While safety is a big part of the active transportation equation, comfort is another piece. Our city-wide efforts to address urban heat island effects have payoff for active transportation as well. Tree cover makes walking more comfortable, yet CD12 lost 15% of its tree canopy in the first decade of the 21st century. In the process of making the city's sidewalks more ADA accessible (and therefore 'walkable'), the city has been unnecessarily removing some trees that whose roots have disrupted sidewalks. Without trees, the sidewalks are no longer inviting places to walk. While the ADA accessibility is an essential priority and required by law, other cities have found tree management strategies that preserve valuable large trees and access. Meanwhile, our city does not currently have an urban forestry plan that guides a long term strategy for rebuilding our tree canopy and maintaining our sidewalks, and I will initiate this process. Our plan must include a plan to reduce the inequality in tree canopy where the poorest neighborhoods have the least tree cover.

6. While one of Los Angeles most recently developed districts, CD12 also has the largest senior population by percentage in the city. What improvements to mobility options would you implement to empower CD12's senior population to comfortably age in place?

Let me say at the outset that I am a strong supporter of public transit and active transportation. Most politicians would follow that sentence with a BUT; where they’d equivocate about why we can’t build protected bike lanes — too soon they’d say — or lower transit fares or increase frequency of bus service. With me, there is NO BUT. If elected, I would be the strongest ally on council to bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users. Period.

My seventeen years with the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) taught me many things. The first is that progressive change is achievable; I know this because my organization helped achieve great policies at LA City Hall. Second, winning policy requires team effort. It takes multiple progressive sectors coming together to push in smart ways. Finally, it takes leadership. I’m running for office because I’m tired of politicians saying one thing and doing another, or talking around an issue as a way to offend no one. You can’t have a councilmember preaching action on climate change while they’re blocking the construction of bicycle lanes from public transit to the largest commuter school in the entire United States.

1. What role do you see for walking, transit, and biking in the getting residents and students in Council District 12 to and from local businesses, parks, and schools?

Walking, biking and public transit are currently being used by people in the 12th District. My goal is to dramatically increase the opportunity for people to leave the cars at home. If people are given the opportunity to enter the street feeling safe and supported, I know they will walk and bike to school/work more often and use our streets for recreation.

It’s an infrastructure question, and this is where city council must stand firm: we must design streets so that pedestrians and bicyclists feel welcome and safe.

The design of LA’s streets, as well as the pace of our car-centric life, must be challenged. And I’m willing to do that. For me, it’s a quality-of-life question. Why must we cede so much of our public space to the automobile? Why do we make safety a secondary priority in order to allow cars to speed through our neighborhoods? Our priorities are off. And it’s critical to recognize that burning gasoline is LA’s #1 contribution to climate change. Our current convenient way of “getting around” is posing a danger to our children’s future.

LA City’s Mobility Plan 2035 lists over 150 strategies to reduce automobile use and make streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Unfortunately, the City has been slow to implement the plan, and too many of these strategies remain merely ideas on paper.

Specifically, my goal in the first four years of my term will be to construct at least 10 miles of protected bicycle lanes in CD 12, with a particular focus on connecting Cal State Northridge (CSUN) with the Metrolink Northridge Station, and to begin to connect CSUN with the Balboa Orange Line Station, five miles away.

Second, I will work with LAPD to enforce speed limits and safety measures along key thoroughfares. Drivers need to be on notice that they must share the road.

Third, I will work with the City and Metro to expedite the construction of the North San Fernando Valley Bus Rapid Transit project. Metro has a lot on its plate right now, but that cannot be an excuse. I will use my position to prioritize this project – to move it from study phase to implementation. I will also work with Metro to ensure that these new rapid buses have room for bikes to be safely placed inside the buses as well.

Next, well-intentioned members of the Northridge public have opposed double-tracking Metrolink’s Ventura County Line. I sympathize with them. Nevertheless, I would work to negotiate with all parties to get a win for residents while making the line safer, reducing air pollution, and speeding the movement of passenger trains.

Last, although not in my district, I will help expedite the design and construction of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor and the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor. Once built, these lines will help CD 12 residents move about the region.

2. Thirty-eight percent of Cal State University, Northridge students do not have access to a car for their daily commute. What actions can Los Angeles take to make the CSUN campus more accessible for students, staff, and faculty including better bike, pedestrian, and transit connectivity around the campus? Additionally, do you support implementation of protected bike lanes on Parthenia Street to connect Metrolink Northridge Station to existing protected bike lanes on Reseda Boulevard?

California State University Northridge campus currently sees over 200,000 weekly car trips. I would work with the City and campus administrators to set measurable time-specific targets to reduce car trips. There are many options, from van-pooling to dedicated buses connecting the campus from the Red and Orange lines, from removing parking spaces to subsidizing Metrolink passes. (Today, CSUN offers reduced fares on the Metro U-Pass, but not for Metrolink.)

Yes, I support protected bike lanes, and Parthenia Street is acceptable. But a more suitable route may be Aliso Canyon Wash to Nordhoff Boulevard. A well-designed, well-lighted bike path along the wash, under the shade of oak trees, could make the bicycle commute more inviting, thereby drawing more students to this way of commuting. Through Measure M, Metro may even have funds for such a path.

3. CD12 sees some of L.A.’s worst speeding and street racing, with three out of the top five most dangerous intersections in all of California located within the District. In response to the condition of dangerous streets across the city, Los Angeles adopted a ‘Vision Zero’ program with the goal of significantly reducing the 240+ annual roadway deaths that the City currently sees. Do you support prioritizing safety on L.A.’s High Injury Network streets in CD12 such as Reseda, Roscoe, and Balboa Boulevards, even when there may be trade-offs in terms of automotive travel time or on-street parking?

Vison Zero is insufficient. We need Action Zero. Yes, I fully support prioritizing public safety efforts along CD 12’s major boulevards.

That said, I am sensitive to businesses that view street parking as benefitting their bottom line. I think it’s a question of education and smart planning. As part of street safety, I would establish a concurrent economic development taskforce to help businesses realize the financial benefit of having more livable (slower) streets.

4. LADOT has determined that speed is the predominant factor in whether traffic collisions are deadly. Despite this fact, Los Angeles recently increased speed limits on 100 miles of local streets to abide by state law, including raising the speed limit to 45 mph on Winnetka Ave., Wilbur Ave. & Reseda Blvd. in CD12. Would you support implementation of lane reductions and other traffic calming infrastructure in order to reduce vehicle speeds on surface streets in CD12?

Yes, with a caveat. Traffic calming must not look like big government telling people how to behave – that approach never works. Instead, there needs to be collaboration between government and on-the-ground communities and institutions. Local groups can provide context on why the change is needed. The best outcome would be for the CD 12 public to tell me what they want – and that they want traffic calming. I’m ready to lead on the issue and support dramatic changes to protect the public. But it will take a coalition, not just one leader standing alone, to achieve this goal.

5. Los Angeles’ traffic woes are compounded by the reality that many parents, students, and workers don’t feel safe commuting even short distances or performing school drop-offs walking, rolling, or by bike. What would you do as Councilmember to improve active transportation options around schools, public transit, and in commercial districts to provide better mobility options for CD12 residents?

As explained above, I will work with LAPD to enforce speed limits and promote safety measures in key areas, and I will work to build many miles of protected bikeways in the district. However, there is a human element as well. Angelenos are unaccustomed to sharing the road. As councilmember, I’d promote bicycling via various media, my newsletters and via social media.

6. While one of Los Angeles most recently developed districts, CD12 also has the largest senior population by percentage in the city. What improvements to mobility options would you implement to empower CD12's senior population to comfortably age in place?

AARP is a major supporter of CicLAvia, which is a great reminder that we shouldn’t assume being older entails becoming inactive or immobile.