Fashion District to Get Diagonal Crosswalks

Four intersections within the Los Angeles Fashion District will soon feature diagonal crosswalks and are expected to ease the flow of traffic among pedestrians and automobiles in the area.

The crosswalks will be installed at 11th and Maple, 11th and Santee, 12th and Maple, and 12th and Santee, routes that intersect the busy Santee Alley shopping district. They should be completed by the end of the year.

Other diagonal crosswalks will be implemented in Los Angeles in Westwood and in Exposition Park, near the University of Southern California. Plans are to extend the program to the Venice and Woodland Hills neighborhoods of Los Angeles in 2009.

The program was recently approved by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council.

Kent Smith, executive director of the Los Angeles Fashion District, said the new crosswalks should help accommodate the heavy traffic along Santee Alley, especially on the weekends.

“We think it’s a great idea,” Smith said. “Those are some of the highest pedestrian-traveled intersections, not just in the Fashion District, but in the city. This should help traffic move along better. The traditional crosswalks make it difficult for cars making right turns when there are lots of pedestrians crossing the streets.”

The diagonal walkways have been popular for years in Beverly Hills and in other cities. —Robert McAllister