A new marked crosswalk on Los Angeles’ Westside was painted by a group of residents who want the city to do more to keep pedestrians safe.
The crosswalk at Kelton Ave. and Wilkins Ave. is the 13th painted by People's Vision Zero. The group’s Jonathan Hale told KNX News’ Karen Adams the group is “protesting for safer streets and a more effective government.”
“This is civil disobedience. This is what it looks like,” he said.
He said the group has been choosing areas where people have been hit and injured or killed in crosswalks while crossing the street from 2015 to 2025. He added that the latest crosswalk is a block over from where a person was struck and injured.
“When I went to survey that corner, there were potholes that would have made painting unfeasible,” he said. “We would have had to fix the potholes first.”
Hale said the group has contacted the mayor's office each time before putting in a marked crosswalk and that they've only gotten results after the fact, including in Koreatown.
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“None of this was meant to be adversarial or tear down institutions,” he said. “We don't want that. This could really be an alley oop for the city. We could really work together to create a program to foster civic engagement, and that's what I hope will come out of this. I hope the mayor's office is receptive, and it has been disappointing that it has to have happened this way.”
He said the group will stop putting in marked crosswalks when the city either publicly condemns their actions or when L.A. takes tangible steps to address traffic violence.
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