Inspired by Manhattan's pedestrianization of Times Square, L.A.'s city council recently approved $1.8 million in funding to reduce a major downtown thoroughfare's roadway by half to make room for "a massive increase of the pedestrian infrastructure."
"Last Friday, the Los Angeles City Council approved a plan to overhaul Broadway between 2nd Street and 11th Street through Downtown’s historic core," reports Damien Newton. "The existing six lanes of mixed-use travel lanes will literally be cut in half, down to three lanes. In their place, a massive increase of the pedestrian infrastructure will take place."
"According to the Bringing Broadway Back (BBB) website, the project was inspired by New York City’s pedestrian expansion plans in Times Square. To justify the project, BBB points to the NYC DOT report entitled 'Measuring the Street' [PDF]."
The "semi-permanent treatments" will "set the stage for the full implementation of a Streetscape Plan that prioritizes people over vehicles, and will make Broadway a safer, more pedestrian-oriented street,” says area councilman José Huizar.
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