A slew of Los Angeles city officials, cultural organizations and unions are engaged in a hotly contested debate over Measure HLA, which would require the city to undertake a massive street and sidewalk improvement project.
According to a release from L.A. City Councilwoman Traci Park, District 11, if approved on the March ballot, the Healthy Streets Los Angeles Ballot Measure would mandate the installation of changes outlined in the city’s Mobility Plan 2035 when working on any street or sidewalk project longer than 1/8 of a mile – or 660 feet – and that includes street resurfacing and slurry sealing.
Those changes include ADA-compliant curbs, new bus and bike lanes and new crosswalks, per the Los Angeles Mobility Plan 2035.
The Mobility Plan 2035 is a guide, but if the measure were to pass, it would become a mandate, the Los Angeles Times said.
Park is one of several council members asking city departments to explore the potential effects of the initiative, especially financial impacts.
“We must make our streets safer for everyone and I look forward to working with my colleagues to deliver those improvements to residents,” Park said. “With an uncertain fiscal future and potential impacts to the design and structural health of our roadways, it’s important for the city to understand how we will fund and implement Measure HLA if approved.”
In addition, Measure HLA would require the installation of hundreds of miles of new bike lanes and “other transportation improvements on designated boulevards that undergo major repairs,” the L.A. Times reported.
Environmental and labor groups are among the largest backers of the resident-led measure, believing that it would increase traffic safety after a record year of pedestrian deaths and improve mobility options.
Council members who support the bill include Nithya Raman, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Hugo Soto-Martinez.
Among the most vehement critics of the measure are local firefighters, who held a press conference Wednesday morning to emphasize that the proposal would make it less safe for emergency vehicles to navigate already congested L.A. streets.
“Firefighters are opposed to Measure HLA…[because] response times from 911 resources will increase,” said LAFD Capt. Frank Lima, who also serves as a member of the International Association of Firefighters. “Every second in our profession means [life or death].”
Emergency response times aren’t the only thing that would be affected by the measure if it were approved, Lima said.
“It’s going to hurt small businesses and it’s going to take away parking spaces,” he said. “It’s one of those projects that sounds good on paper, but when you put it in reality, it’s going to have a negative impact.”
Some supporters, however, think the changes would have a beneficial effect on first responders.
“It would actually speed up the response times with bus and center turn lanes that don’t exist today,” said Michael Schneider with Yes on Measure HLA. “They could use those in an emergency to get somewhere faster.”
The measure will be voted on March 5.