MOTION-- The Slow Streets program was established in May 2020 as a COVID emergency response measure to give families safe open spaces to get outside and de-stress while normal recreation spaces were closed or operating at limited capacity. The program proved popular in many neighborhoods and has been embraced by community leaders throughout the City of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) installed over 50 miles of Slow Streets in 30 neighborhoods, in all cases at the request of local community organizations. Earlier this month, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB773 (Nazarian), which authorizes new tools for the City of Los Angeles to implement in a permanent Slow Streets program after the COVID state of emergency expires. Implementing a permanent program would provide continued and expanded opportunities for active mobility and recreation on neighborhood streets. In anticipation of this new authority, the City should identify the necessary steps to implement these new tools in a permanent program, including staffing and budget needs, coordination with other programs and initiatives, and a transition plan for existing program participants. The permanent program should be responsive to community-led safe streets demands, equitable in prioritizing resources for low-income communities of color and neighborhoods with less access to open space, and efficient in process and implementation to reach as many neighborhoods as possible.
I THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council direct the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to report with a proposed permanent Slow Streets program that includes the following:
- An application process open to all interested and eligible community sponsors; Criteria for identifying priority neighborhoods;
- A toolkit of available Slow Streets treatments including, but not limited to, signage, gateway elements, mini traffic circles, turn restrictions, and traffic diverters;
- An approval process consistent with AB773, including required findings and community engagement process;
- A process for coordinating community-requested Slow Streets locations with existing City plans and programs that aim to increase neighborhood connections, including the Mobility Plan 2035s Neighborhood Network, the LADOT Stress Free Streets Program, and other planned Active Transportation projects;
- Staff and budget needs to implement the program; and
- A transition plan for existing program participants, including the status of each installation.