Hope Street Sidewalk Closure Gets a Guard
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
A construction worker sits at the corner of 9th and Hope telling pedestrians to cross to the other side of the street.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The sidewalk on a stretch of Hope street next to Ralphs remains shut to pedestrians, five weeks after it was first closed. After prompting, the developer is working with city departments on a solution that would reopen the walkway while construction proceeds.
In the interim, it seems that the contractor on site has taken a more hands-on approach to making sure people don't walk out in the street to get around the closure. Mid-day today a construction worker was situated in the shade of a tree at the corner of 9th and Hope, telling pedestrians to use the crosswalk. It was a bit of a half-hearted effort, with no similar guard on the closure's north end.
Downtown construction projects often close off sidewalk blocks for months at a time. The city's permitting process has strict rules for closures that would affect vehicle lanes, but no similar accounting for pedestrians.
LAofAnaheim on July 19, 2008, at 12:21PM – #1
I walked by this guy on my way to work last week. He told me to use the other side and I just responded that "downtown is for pedestrians and not just auto-traffic". And I just continued walking on that side of the street. What else could he do?
I'm getting frustrated by these sidewalk closures due to construction. This is not right. I can understand in non-walkable areas like suburbs, but not in an area that's trying to develop a pedestrian feel.
JM on July 21, 2008, at 08:44AM – #2
Wow! That's pretty funny. I can't believe the lengths developers go to during construction, and yet they won't do anything to make life easier for pedestrians. Wouldn't it be easier to just make a safe passageway for pedestrians?
Another great sight/site is between Grand and Olive where they're extending 2nd up to the Disney Concert Hall. They've actually bolted down signs and barricades to ward off pedestrians who apparently also have a thing for stealing road signs. Hey, in Downtown, who knows... The signs trigger the street light sensors, so traffic is bottling up much more than usual. And the reason people ignore the barricades? The lights further down the road are painfully slow to change.
There's got to be an easier way. It's a common sense deficit.
Bert Green on July 21, 2008, at 01:06PM – #3
It's simple. The city does not require contractors to provide an alternative to closed sidewalks. In many other cities, they would be required to provide access by taking out a traffic lane and adding a covered walkway. But LA is so focused on making its rules for the suburban areas that downtown gets ignored.
Just as there are new downtown-specific zoning rules, there need to be downtown-specific pedestrian rules. They should include the removal of push buttons in crosswalks and mandatory sidewalk diverters.
William on July 22, 2008, at 02:47PM – #4
I think that guy just gave up after noticing that many people actually just kept walking passed him...he doesnt even say much no more, he just talks on the phone
JM on July 23, 2008, at 09:23AM – #5
Thanks for the information, Bert. That explains a lot. I agree with your comments about pedestrian specific rules and I hope someone in City Hall pays attention.