Today, we were notified that the first Measure HLA lawsuit has been filed. The plaintiff is Joe Linton, Editor of Streetsblog LA.
In the Complaint, it asks a judge to:
Declare the City’s required Administrative Appeal before someone is able to file a lawsuit illegal
Redo portions of Vermont Ave the City repaved last year but failed to install the required pedestrian and bike improvements
Declare that the Vermont BRT (and future Metro projects) subject to HLA when they’re doing work in the City of Los Angeles
Joe Linton has been one of LA’s hardest working advocates for many years, faithfully covering the City’s successes and failures on our streets. He also happens to live just off Vermont, and he and his family are negatively impacted by keeping Vermont more dangerous than the Mobility Plan intended.
The Mobility Plan intended Vermont to have bike lanes, bus lanes, and pedestrian improvements for good reason. Since HLA passed 1 year ago, at least 36 people have been severely injured and 4 people killed on Vermont Ave. The youngest victim was a 12 year old severely injured in a hit in run in South LA. The oldest victim was a 91 year old pedestrian killed crossing the street in East Hollywood. Over the last 5 years more people have been killed traveling on Vermont than any other street in the City of LA.
You can read the full lawsuit below. We encourage the City to respect the will of the voters, and implement Measure HLA promptly. It’s not only legally required, it’s the right thing to do to make our streets safer for all modes of transportation.