Mayor Garcetti’s Directive Propels LA Transportation Efforts

Transportation initiatives in new L.A. executive directive will accelerate efforts to cut carbon emissions from transportation and create safer and more livable streets. Here’s to riding in fast and frequent electric buses in dedicated lanes, with smooth sidewalks and tree canopy on the way to a shaded bus stop.

Mayor Garcetti signed today an executive directive to accelerate L.A.’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and achieve the Paris Climate agreement goals. The executive directive also advances City goals to achieve a zero carbon grid, zero carbon transportation, zero carbon buildings, zero waste and zero wasted water.

As a transportation strategist with the American Cities Climate Challenge, I am especially excited about the transportation policies. Here are some highlights that will help cut carbon, clean our air, and help Angelenos get around quickly and safely without getting in their cars.

  • Creating a network of bus-priority corridors starting in summer 2020 featuring dedicated bus lanes and other treatments that will speed up buses and grow ridership.
  • Improving signal priority and pre-emption for Los Angeles County Metro Rail lines that operate on city streets, like the Expo Line, Blue Line and Gold Line, as well as future rail projects with implementation by early 2021.
  • Building out a regional, low-stress bike lane network featuring one regional scale project per year, such as a path along waterways, protected bike lane on a major street or a traffic-calmed neighborhood street.
  • Increasing the frequency of CicLAvia to monthly starting summer 2020 and creating a plan to reach weekly open streets events starting in 2022.
  • Standing up a team at L.A. Department of Transportation to focus on reducing vehicle-miles traveled and coordinating with L.A. County Metro on its congestion pricing study and pilot.
  • Reducing vehicle-miles traveled and prioritizing safety by leveraging the City’s control of streets and land uses, including through the planning and design of projects and the creation of new Community Plans.
  • Planting and maintaining 90,000 trees a year starting in 2021 to create comfortable and cool corridors for walking.
  • Adding cooling features to all high-ridership bus stops in L.A. by 2021.
  • Accelerating the conversation of LADOT’s bus fleet to fully electric by 2028, 12 years ahead of the State mandate of 2040.
  • Procuring only zero-emissions sedans in the City fleet by 2021, and creating a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) first policy that ensure ZEVs are chosen if they are available and meet operational needs.
  • Streamlining electric vehicle charger installation by increasing coordination and efficiency among the Department of Water and Power, Building and Safety, Transportation, City Planning, the Port of L.A. and Public Works.

This executive directive is the latest step in L.A.’s sustainability efforts, and I look forward to working with my colleagues at the American Cities Climate Challenge and Natural Resources Defense Council to help the City stay on track with these commitments and deliver on its bold plans for the future. Community engagement, both in policy development and implementation, will be essential to success. Transportation, energy, and climate change are topics that involve every Angeleno in every community, and we must bring a diverse set of experiences and visions for the future to these policy discussions.

With continued commitment from the City and a robust community engagement process, these efforts will significantly advance L.A.’s efforts to cut carbon emissions from transportation, which is the leading source of carbon emissions in California and nationally. And we won’t have to wait long to see results: Angelenos will see upgrades on our streets starting this year, with faster buses, safer routes for rolling and cleaner vehicles.

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