Words by Smiley Team
Crosswalks are popping up in the streets of Los Angeles that, according to the city, shouldn’t be there.
A striped crosswalk appeared in a residential intersection that a group known as Crosswalk Collective LA is taking credit for.
“The city doesn't keep us safe, so we keep us safe,” the group announced on Twitter, alongside a photo of a freshly painted crosswalk.
The group currently remains anonymous, but began posting on Twitter with photos of fresh crosswalks on March 19. Their bio reads, “Los Angeles's streets are deadly for pedestrians and cyclists. Until City Council acts, we paint crosswalks,” and includes a form where individuals can request crosswalks in their area.
The move for crosswalks follows an uptick in traffic-related deaths for pedestrians in Los Angeles, something that has been growing in recent years according to Healthy Streets LA.
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Healthy Streets LA aims to improve the streets of Los Angeles through safety measures and cleanup. Their report showed that pedestrian mortality in Los Angeles is four times the national average and that there’s a pedestrian death every three days in LA. The report also shows that car crashes are the number cause of death for children in LA although that includes traffic-related accidents.
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation says they are protecting their citizens, adding over 1,400 crosswalks in 2021.
“LADOT works with individuals and community groups to install or improve hundreds of critical safety treatments across the city, including over 1400 crosswalks citywide last year alone,” the department told NBC4.
Crosswalk Collective LA is planning on expanding, though. As mentioned before they are accepting requests for new crosswalks and said in an interaction on Twitter that they plan on releasing a how-to guide and stencil to individuals who may want to paint their own crosswalks.
SIGN THE PETITION: You can check out Healthy Streets LA and sign their petition for safer, greener streets.
VOLUNTEER: Healthy Streets LA is on the lookout for volunteers in different areas – find out more.
