About 50 South Los Angeles community members gathered March 5 at the second Make Jefferson Beautiful project meeting.
Surrounded by informational charts and posters created by event sponsor Redeemer Community Partnership, residents shared their concerns about the potential multi-million dollar project that proposed adding bike lanes, light posts and greenery to the highly-trafficked boulevard.
Jefferson Boulevard has a high number of injuries, according to a Transportation Injury Mapping System display used at the meeting to illustrate the need for safer biking and walking options. The system recorded 302 pedestrian and 255 bicycle collisions on the thoroughfare between 2008 and 2012.
Such injuries are reflective of a larger statewide issue. A Governor's Highway Association study released Tuesday showed a rise of 7 percent in California's pedestrian fatality rate in the first half of 2015. A total of 347 deaths have been recorded throughout the state.
As a part of the Make Jefferson Beautiful project, Redeemer proposed that bike lanes be opened on Jefferson Boulevard between Western Avenue and Normandie Avenue, Normandie Avenue and Catalina Street, and Catalina Street and Vermont Avenue.
Resident Alex Shippee, a former administrator for the partnership, worried at first that adding bike lanes and reducing those used for traffic, would worsen congestion along Jefferson Boulevard. In discussing his concerns with other community members, however, he came to believe that cars might come to avoid area traffic altogether. He looked forward to the alternative — more pedestrian and bike traffic.
"In being here and discussing with people, it's been helpful to think, 'well, if traffic gets worse, then people will probably just avoid Jefferson more,'" Shippee said.
Redeemer also asked meeting attendees for speed limit suggestions. Residents at the meeting voted by placing stickers in bilingual "like" or "dislike" boxes alongside speed options of 20, 30 and 40 mph. Some members took the opportunity to write in suggestions as low as 15 mph.
Near each group of interactive and informational posters was a space asking voters to write on sticky notes ideas for other improvements along the Boulevard. Bike racks and additional crosswalks were among the smaller features suggested while larger dream items included a farmer's market and bringing in small businesses like coffee and ice cream shops.
The Make Jefferson Beautiful project has not yet been approved for funding or construction. This process could take up to a year depending on whether or not the partnership applies for funding in the 2016 calendar year.
The group can choose to apply for funding from a variety of funding partners, some of which require the sort of community polling that was done at the meeting on Saturday.
The project also proposed implementing additional lighting and greenery. Redeemer has already planted several drought-friendly non-intrusive ginko biloba trees along Jefferson Boulevard. But Niki Wong, lead community organizer with the organization, emphasized the importance of adding foliage to medians and walkways.
"If you have more trees, landscaped medians, kind of build in some of these structures, it actually promotes and encourages folks to drive slower," Wong said. "It encourages them to actually pay attention to businesses so it actually stimulates the economy."
Wong also said beautification is about more than just making an area look pretty.
"Beautification has many implications on a community's quality of life," Wong said. "A well-kept street can encourage neighborhood ownership, encourage folks to spend time in the community and not just at home. An investment in a built environment is an investment in safety and injury prevention."
With the construction of bike lanes, some south side parking spaces would be lost. To combat some of the issues associated with the loss of parking, community member Richard Olivarez suggested one- to two-hour time limits be placed on the parking spaces along Jefferson Boulevard between Vermont Avenue and Normandie Avenue, allowing the limited spaces to be used to support local business traffic rather than being occupied all day by the overflow of nearby USC students.
Wong expressed, however, that the Make Jefferson Beautiful project's downsides could actually be upsides that address the community's physical and economic health.
The slight increase in car traffic that might be caused due to the reduction of parking spaces and driving lanes in exchange for new bike lanes, Wong said, could theoretically cause an increase in neighbors opting out of using their cars. The increase in physical activity could then increase foot traffic passing by local storefronts, which could mean a small bump in their business.
Redeemer is currently looking into the state's Active Transportation Plan fund to support the project. The group can choose to apply for aid from a variety of funding partners for the project. According to L.A. Department of Transportation engineer Robert Sanchez, most of these funding partners have generous caps on the amount of money they are willing to give to a project like this.
Redeemer began looking at different options to make Jefferson more accessible in 2014.
"The community has often been at the bottom of the priority list for various street improvement projects," Wong said.
The organizer believes that with continued support and community involvement, Jefferson could climb up that list and come to be more tightly connected to its neighbors, the Ballona Creek bike path, and the nearly completed USC Village.
The next Make Jefferson Beautiful meeting is expected to be held in the summer or fall. For more information, visit the project's Facebook page, or join its e-newsletter to stay updated on the plan's news and events.
Annenberg Media