{"id":278936,"date":"2026-04-21T19:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/278936\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T19:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:00:08","slug":"la-envisions-low-stress-all-ages-walking-biking-route-for-koreatown-pico-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/278936\/","title":{"rendered":"LA envisions \u2018low-stress, all-ages\u2019 walking, biking route for Koreatown, Pico Union"},"content":{"rendered":"

The story<\/a> first appeared on The LA Local<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A stretch of residential streets between Koreatown and Pico Union is slated for changes to slow down traffic aimed at making it safer to walk and bike, as Los Angeles moves forward with street redesigns ahead of the Summer Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

The project \u2014 currently referred to as Koreatown Pico Union Neighborhood Connect<\/a> \u2014 would create a nearly two-mile, pedestrian-friendly route along New Hampshire Avenue, Berendo Street, and Washington Boulevard, connecting residential blocks with schools and Metro\u2019s Wilshire\/Vermont Station.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s designed as a lower-stress alternative to Vermont Avenue, a major corridor that carries heavy traffic through the area.<\/p>\n

Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n

If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n

On a recent weekday afternoon near Berendo Middle School \u2014 one of the schools along the route \u2014 pedestrians were out and about, including students walking home, residents on a leisurely stroll with their dogs, and people biking through the streets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sol Mendoza, who walks down the street from the school with her 5-year-old son every day, said she generally feels safe in the neighborhood but has concerns about how some drivers behave at crossings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes the cars passing don\u2019t stop or forget to stop,\u201d she said, gesturing to the curb where her son was playing with his mini kick scooter. \u201cThey fail to see people walking and go really fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plan aims to slow vehicle traffic and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists through measures including traffic circles, speed humps, crosswalk signals, traffic diverters, bike boxes and wayfinding signage, though final decisions will depend on community feedback, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n

\"Cars<\/p>\n

The City of Los Angeles is seeking to calm traffic and provide bicyclists and pedestrians an alternative to the high-traffic Vermont Avenue corridor.<\/p>\n

(<\/p>\n

Hanna Kang<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

The LA Local<\/p>\n

)<\/p>\n

Construction is expected to be completed by spring 2028, according to city documents<\/a>, with final designs anticipated this fall. The project has been awarded about $5.4 million in funding from Metro through its Active Transportation grant program, according to city documents.<\/p>\n

According to LADOT, the corridor would make it easier and safer to get to schools, including Berendo Middle School, Loyola High School, and Camino Nuevo Charter Academy. The proposal is part of the city\u2019s Mobility Plan 2035, which identifies streets for improvements aimed at walking and biking.<\/p>\n

A LADOT survey of 729 respondents last fall found that 68% want safer, quieter streets and 43% would consider biking along the route if safety improved. Top concerns included speeding traffic, dangerous intersections and limited visibility at crossings.<\/p>\n

Mary Lee, who lives near the route, supports creating an alternative and safer path to Vermont Avenue for pedestrians.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel pretty safe here but when I\u2019m walking along Vermont to go to the bank or a restaurant with my friends, I\u2019m on edge because people on scooters whiz past me sometimes and they\u2019re really fast. It\u2019s also very loud,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lee, who does not drive, said residential streets can also feel unsafe depending on how certain drivers behave.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people who go really fast and don\u2019t slow down when they turn,\u201d she said. \u201cYou don\u2019t know if they\u2019ve actually seen you or not, and it doesn\u2019t always feel safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She\u2019s skeptical about how well the pedestrian-focused changes will work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds promising, but who knows, it\u2019s L.A., and a lot of people just ignore signs and break the rules,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Scooter riders in the area also see room for improvement.<\/p>\n

Alfredo Hernandez, a delivery driver who frequents Koreatown, feels generally comfortable navigating the area on a scooter as an experienced rider but sees gaps in infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to see more dedicated paths for people who are on scooters or walking,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s enough of that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The story first appeared on The LA Local. A stretch of residential streets between Koreatown and Pico Union…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278937,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[120319,43009,120318,29550,48,52,51,120320,47,50,49,120321,5120,120322,120323],"class_list":["post-278936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-biking-route","tag-koreatown","tag-koreatown-pico-union-neighborhood-connect","tag-ktown","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-less-cars","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-los-angeles-traffic","tag-pico-union","tag-walking-neighborhood","tag-walking-route"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}