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Measure HLA is stuck. The ballot measure LA voters passed 2½ years ago said the city must install planned bike lanes when repaving. But the city stopped repaving, and new bike lane projects have slowed to a trickle. Exactly one HLA-compliant project has been installed. What comes next?

The problem is costs stacked on costs. City Council required bike lanes to only be installed on good pavement. Repaving adds $1M/mile. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) says when repaving, curb ramps have to be fixed. Another $600k/mile.

But HLA defeats the workaround. It’s triggered by "any paving project or other modification" at least ⅛ mile long. The bike lane itself is a modification. And if a street is in a pedestrian district (2/3 of potential bike lanes in Central LA), that means fixing curb ramps - the ADA all over again.

HLA requires ALL Mobility Plan elements to be installed when repaving, including for pedestrians. The complete street. It’s like a restaurant set menu. Nice for a special occasion. But if my family had to order an appetizer and dessert every time we went to Olive Garden, we'd go a lot less often.

So what now? The ADA and HLA have raised costs, but they’re here to stay. I asked people on the city and advocacy sides how to get repaving and the Mobility Plan moving again. Click to read what they told me.