Partnerships with community organizations help drive our mission of creating a livable and sustainable transit infrastructure for Angelenos to access daily. This Latinx Heritage Month, we are proud to highlight Latinx community organizations that work alongside the department to create safer streets for everyone.
Voces de Cambio is a Canoga Park community organization that encourages healthy relationships to promote peace in interpersonal relationships and fight domestic violence and violence in all their ways in the community.
In 2020, Voces de Cambio partnered with LADOT to participate in our Slow Streets program. The program has helped to make a positive effect in the community by providing the residents with safe and comfortable spaces for recreational activities.
“The community has gained space for sharing, exchange, a space for meeting, a place where the community can feel safe and comfortable. Also, the sense of belonging is strengthened with a project that the same neighbors and residents will take care of and monitor” said the organization.
LADOT implemented the Slow Streets program in May 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic where Angelenos were asked to social distance, mask up, and stay safer at home. The Slow Streets program provides Angelenos with the opportunity for people to stay physically active while socially distant by reducing speeding on neighborhood streets.
Recently the California legislature passed a bill that would give cities additional tools for establishing and maintaining Slow Streets programs. LADOT is working on treatments to make Slow Streets durable as the program has proven a popular option for many communities with limited access to recreation and open space. It also helps strengthen LADOT’s partnerships with community-based organizations such as Voces de Cambio.
The collaboration between Voces de Cambio and LADOT has served to provide equitable transportation options and improve the lives of Los Angeles residents for the better.
