#  Time for Gil Cedillo to Step Up … Figueroa St Must Have a Road Diet

     Details    Adriane Hoff   ![logo](https://mail.citywatchla.com//templates/ja_teline_v/images/logo.png)         October 15 2015       [ARCHIVE](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive)   - [  Previous Article **The Democratic Debate Moved the Overton Window and Redefined the Pickford Effect! Say What?** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9796:the-democratic-debate-moved-the-overton-window-and-redefined-the-pickford-effect-say-what&catid=16)
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> ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Oct-2015/084e.png)HOFF THE BEATEN PATH-My first weekend living in Northeast Los Angeles, I was one of the featured storytellers at BUSted, which was making its NELA debut at Future Studio Gallery in Highland Park. Everyone at the gallery was abuzz about a hit and run accident that happened right outside the night before.
>
> Irma Yolanda Espinoza-Lugo was in the crosswalk (photo left) on Figueroa near Avenue 55 and was struck by a car. The driver pulled over only long enough to remove the license plates from the car, and then continued to flee the scene. Days later, Espinoza-Lugo died from her injuries.
>
> After the storytelling show, I walked south on Figueroa with Scott Schultz, the producer and host of BUSted. We saw that the crosswalk at Ave. 55 had no indicators to let vehicles know if a pedestrian is crossing. As Scott and I continued our walk, we noticed several other crosswalks that were poorly marked. A few had flashing yellow lights that would activate once the pedestrian pressed the indicator button, but many had nothing. A lot of these crosswalks were also in dark stretches of Figueroa where street lamps are blocked by sycamore trees. Meanwhile, cars whizzed through the four-lane corridor at high speeds.
>
> ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Oct-2015/084f.png)Further south on Figueroa near Pasadena Ave., a Ghost Bike memorial (photo left) is in place for Jose Luna, who was struck by a drunk driver at high speeds in the early morning hours of June 26th. He was in the cross walk with his bike, and was dragged several hundred feet. [According to KTLA](http://ktla.com/2015/06/26/bicyclist-killed-by-hit-and-run-driver-in-highland-park/), The driver was found hours later, drunk and in bed with his girlfriend, with windshield debris in his hair and Luna’s blood on his car.
>
> I bike this corridor of Figueroa all the time. Not only do I and other riders have to dodge traffic, but we also have to navigate sharp curves, steep hills, and poorly lit stretches of road. If an obstacle comes our way, like a suddenly-opened parked car door, or a pot hole, cyclists have to make the decision to dart into traffic or be taken by the obstacle.
>
> The [LA Times has reported](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bicyclist-hit-dragged-20150626-story.html) that from 2002 and 2012, there have been **68 car vs. vehicle collisions** on the three mile stretch of Figueroa between Ave. 26 and York Blvd., and **153 accidents involving cars and pedestrians** during this same period, including nine fatalities.
>
> Figueroa St. was slated to receive a road diet, but these plans were halted by **Councilmember Gil Cedillo**, claiming the removal of a car lane would restrict emergency vehicles. But does it? Adding bike lanes to this stretch of Fig would also add a middle turn lane. This would still provide plenty of room for emergency vehicles to get through. When I still lived in Koreatown, I regularly biked down 7th St., which was given a road diet years ago. I observed fire trucks coming and going from the station east of Alvarado with no issue.
>
> How many more people have to lose their lives before Northeast LA does something about this? Too many are being injured or killed in this corridor.
>
> These accidents, injuries and deaths can be curtailed by putting indicator lights on all crosswalks, lowering the speed limit, and giving cyclists their own lane.
>
> Councilmember Cedillo, how many more tragedies need to happen? Please stand up for the people you represent.
>
> *(Adriane Hoff blogs at* [Hoff the Beaten Path](http://hoffthebeatenpath.com/) *promoting a car-free lifestyle.) Edited for* CityWatch *by Linda Abrams.*
>
> -cw
>
> CityWatch
>
> Vol 13 Issue 84
>
> Pub: Oct 16, 2015

  - [  Previous Article **The Democratic Debate Moved the Overton Window and Redefined the Pickford Effect! Say What?** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9796:the-democratic-debate-moved-the-overton-window-and-redefined-the-pickford-effect-say-what&catid=16)
- [  Next Article **Want LA Taxpayers to Support Measure R-2: Stop Ignoring Them!** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9798:want-la-taxpayers-to-support-measure-r-2-stop-ignoring-them&catid=16)
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