About 40 volunteers painted a set of crosswalks at the intersection of Orchard Avenue and 30th Street on Saturday, Sept. 19, just one block away from USC.
The group, which included several USC students, protested traffic violence and poor pedestrian safety across Los Angeles. They were led by the advocacy group People’s Vision Zero, which paints crosswalks around L.A. — even though they are unauthorized by the city.
“The point is that it’s a statement about the city’s failure to respect the dignity and safety of people who walk and bike and take public transit,” said Jonathan Hale, the founder of People’s Vision Zero and who organized the painting event.
This comes as traffic fatalities surpass homicides in the city of L.A., according to the Los Angeles Police Department, and amid calls for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to declare a state of emergency on traffic violence in the city, according to multiple reports.
Vision Zero was originally an initiative to affordably prevent traffic fatalities and was implemented in Sweden in the 1990s. The network “has proved successful across Europe — and now it’s gaining momentum in major American cities,” according to the Vision Zero Network website.
L.A. launched its own version of Vision Zero in 2015. During the program’s first two years, total traffic deaths to drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians were 245 and 241, KTLA reported. By 2024, that rate had jumped to well over 300.
In February, the L.A. Times reported that Vermont Avenue and 28th Street, roughly 2 blocks away from the Orchard intersection, “had seen 28 collisions since 2010 and has the fifth-highest traffic volume of any L.A. intersection.”
During the painting, participants called for safer streets and urged government officials to take action. Alejandro Ciprian, a member of the USC transportation design team that helped organize the event, said the event fostered a sense of community as well.
“Everyone was just having such a great time and talking to each other and getting to know people,” Ciprian said.
Hale said the turnout was remarkable. “There are so many people in Los Angeles willing to give up their Saturday mornings to paint crosswalks, to put themselves at risk of arrest or dismissal,” he said.
Students who live near the crosswalk have also expressed support for the campaign.
“I think it’ll be not only very nice for our community, but helpful for those needing to cross the street,” said Reese Whitley, a music industry major who lives near the intersection. “I see nothing wrong with it. I think it’s awesome.”
Hale said that the campaign will not eliminate all collisions between pedestrians and vehicles, but that it represents a small step toward safer streets.
“We’re not the city, but I think we can do this and do it effectively,” Hale said, “and leave a visual impact that community is something that helps restore a lot of people’s hopes.”
Edited by Jadon Frank