Like many of us, one reason I was drawn to set down roots in West Hollywood was the promise of a pedestrian-friendly urban village that was walkable from border to border, bustling with local businesses and offering the chance to interact with neighbors as we all went about our daily routines. During my tenure as Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce I worked hard to uphold this vision. As a realtor for over a dozen years it has been a selling point for West Hollywood properties.
Now, as we approach the upcoming Mobility Debate this Thursday, Aug. 15 at 6:15pm hosted by Streets for All, I am deeply concerned that this promise and the needs of pedestrians have been lost in the conversation of late.
For the past few years much focus has been given to scooters, bike lanes, traffic stoplights, parking and vehicular traffic patterns in West Hollywood. These modes of transport are discussed ad nauseam from council meeting to council meeting. But what about walkability?
Pedestrians deserve equal consideration in any discussions on mobility. While of late there has thankfully been some discussion of the pedestrian challenges faced by the PDA community, there has been precious little discussion of the broader issues of pedestrian traffic patterns, volume of pedestrian activity, the impacts of pedestrian activity on businesses or the real issues facing walkability in our city.
I am not aware of one single study looking at the walkability of the city today versus 10 years ago. We are falling short of our promise of that pedestrian-friendly urban village.
It has long been my practice to walk rather than drive from my home to destinations across West Hollywood. I am fortunate that I face no personal mobility challenges. But even for me, of late it has become a veritable obstacle course with real challenges on every block.
There are scooters and bikes left everywhere, blocking sidewalks. Sidewalks buckling from tree roots. Homeless people and their belongings laying across the sidewalks. The new food delivery robots that seem to be everywhere. Outdoor seating areas for businesses blocking sidewalks.
The hedges that encroach on our sidewalks, creating blind spots for anyone using the streets and sidewalks (including drives, scooters, bikers), and areas for would-be attackers to hide. Then there are the “human” challenges. The threat of being accosted by some of the homeless on our sidewalks. The threat of injury resulting from the careless scooter riders who should not be riding on the sidewalks. The rising crime that threatens us all when we walk our streets.
It has become scary and unpleasant to walk the streets of West Hollywood. And, as someone who regularly stands on various street corners across town to gauge foot traffic for over a decade (it was helpful in both my Chamber role and my professional real estate career) I can promise you, there are far fewer people walking today versus five years ago.
The issues impacting walkability that will be debated in this Thursday’s Mobility Debate affect all of us, not just seniors and people with disabilities.
The threats to our safety and the obstructions to our pedestrian walkways present barriers to every resident and visitor walking in West Hollywood and to every business that has any reliance on foot traffic to survive. We owe it to the promise of a pedestrian-friendly urban village that was such an integral part of the initial vision of our city-hood to engage in the much broader discussion of what needs to be done to make our sidewalks safer and more passable for all of us.
Scooters, thieves, homeless, ROBOTS, druggies, camps.
Just another day in a city taken over by the Far Left Labels Mob.
I always maintain that the best “last mile” solution to commuting isn’t some silly scooter but your own two feet. And the best way to make sure that you are able to use them into old age is to use them when you’re young. The city does not need to add more obstacles to pedestrians using the sidewalks for the purpose they were designed for. “Outzones,” scooters, delivery robots, bicyclists, etc. do not need to be added to the mix of sprawled homeless, poorly designed and intrusive bus shelters, and (on side streets) poor lighting, intrusive tree roots, and unchecked… Read more »
Walking is the most fundamental and indeed environmentally responsible form of mobility, and like Keith Kaplan, I walk as much as possible. Pedestrian safety and accessibility must be on the top of discussions at council and for those seeking a seat on council. The scooters (both in use and littered about the sidewalks), the cyclists, the increasingly aggressive robo-delivery devices, and the scourge of overgrown hedges for which code enforcement seems incapable of proactive enforcement have created a nightmare on the sidewalks of West Hollywood. Sadly, despite the ongoing pleas of some determined residents, there is scant attention paid to… Read more »
And lest we think it is only accidents on sidewalks, take a look at THIS bot stalled out in the middle of oncoming cars at Holloway and La Cienega! After it stalls out, it heads for the pedestrians standing on the corner!!
Thanks so much for this OP ED, Keith.
The sidewalks of Weho are practically a war zone these days. There is NO responsibility or accountability for the scooters barreling along on our streets and endangering pedestrians. There have been several SEVERE accidents and still no accountability. What will it take for the three on city council who vote FOR these hazards to put the safety of residents of West Hollywood, FIRST?
As Dustin Hoffman’s character in Midnight Cowboy shouted at a cab 🚕 coming at him “I’m WALKIN’ HERE!”
BAN THE RENTAL SCOOTERS and the BOTS!
All of Keith’s thoughtful observances accurately reflect the new challenges for pedestrians trying to navigate a City that was historically very walkable. But the real agenda of “Streets for All” is really about “streets for some”. This group wants to give a minority of cyclist “equal” access to streets, with disruptive ideas such as reducing Fountain to one lane in either direction so we can install “protected” bike lanes. While I am not anti-cyclists, the half baked Fountain plan was never put before the Fire Department for input because the City Council majority did not want to hear that this… Read more »
Perhaps our city can take notes from Aspen’s approach to the issue…
https://www.aspentimes.com/news/cars-buses-e-bikes-and-pedestrians-how-aspen-leaders-are-looking-to-make-the-city-a-safer-place/
To add to all of those very accurate points, it creates another set of reasons for our community to live further away and simply transit here when necessary.
I was hoping people would just steal or destroy these.
Safety of the citizens should be the number one priority for the City Council. At times, I feel there is not a thoughtful approach to decision-making, and the resulting consequences are absorbed by the residents and visitors. I have had numerous incidents where I had to maneuver around scooters, skateboards, bikes, etc. Two examples, both on Santa Monica Blvd: 1) While walking home from Trader Joe’s, a scooter weaving back and forth between the street and the sidewalk slammed into my side because the rider didn’t see me and then kept going. 2) While walking by Gelson’s, a bike rider… Read more »
did you not care for my long comment?? CC
Finally! Somebody is defending pedestrians! Our city council and our city staff certainly are not! They bend over backwards to defend scooters and robots and bikes which are clogging our sidewalks!, But… I haven’t heard one word of defense for pedestrians who are taking their lives in their hands just by trying to take a simple walk! So, it’s very encouraging to see that someone, an able-bodied person, actually gets it, and is defending the pedestrians for a change! I hope that the candidates who are running for City Council and are taking part in the mobility debate on Thursday… Read more »