Bike lanes are going in, but vehicle speed limits are going up

South Park Studies: Safety in the Public Realm

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As the City of Los Angeles works to make streets friendlier for pedestrians and cyclists with projects like MyFigueroa and the Vision Zero plan, vehicle speed limits are going up on over 100 miles of LA streets. The Los Angeles Times explains why, and what can be done about it, in this op-ed.

Speed kills. So do carbon emissions. So why does California give free rein to leadfoots?
The Los Angeles Times, December 13, 2018

Here’s another reminder that, despite the many pledges and programs to make it easier for people to bike, walk and otherwise get around without driving, California still treats the car as king.

This week the Los Angeles City Council reluctantly voted to raise the speed limits on more than 100 miles of streets. The council felt it had no choice because of a decades-old state law that essentially requires cities to set their streets’ speed limits based on how fast people are already driving there, regardless of whether that speed is safe.

The law was passed to prevent cities from setting speed traps, or arbitrarily low speed limits aimed at sticking drivers with pricey tickets. But it unwisely ties local officials’ hands and interferes with other priorities — namely, slowing traffic to make the streets safer for other users, including cyclists, transit riders, pedestrians and people with disabilities.

The risks posed by higher speeds are well known. A pedestrian hit by a car traveling 20 mph has an 80% chance of survival, but someone hit by a car traveling 40 mph has just a 10% chance.

Read the full article here.

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Keep up with Los Angeles’ efforts to make streets safer by learning more about Vision Zero’s safety toolkit and signing up for their emails. If you’re interested in supporting pedestrian infrastructure in South Park, join us for an Infrastructure & Planning Committee Meeting (sign up here for notifications).

ABOUT

South Park Studies is a new initiative designed to bring you news and resources on the topics we hear questions about the most — homelessness, daycare and school availability, transportation, and more. Each topic will consist of a multi-week series of article recommendations, volunteer opportunities, and more. Catch up on our first series, exploring homelessness, by clicking here. Learn more about South Park by visiting southpark.la.