An alternative view of Figueroa Street in front of Staples Center - a livable place!

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Our urban streets have been degraded with an over-emphasis on private automobile use. Cars are great - but no so great that we should sacrifice the best parts of living in a city just to accommodate them. Our mobility element needs to reflect more than LOS, ADT, and "mobility" (distance a car can travel in a set period of time). We need our mobility element to take in to account pedestrian behaviour on various types of streets - are people lingering and relaxing in shopping areas? Are kids playing on residential streets? Are we safe - that is, are crashes and injuries rare? Can we hold a conversation without screaming over traffic noises? Can the weakest among us (the elderly, the very young, the disabled) get around and take care of themselves safely with a minimum of help? Walk, bike, and transit audits, crash-mapping, property value mapping, livability surveys, - all of these need to be integrated into our measurement of city streets.