LA Mayor-elect Nithya Raman to push $3.1B street overhaul forward that could squeeze drivers on city’s busiest roads

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman is preparing to put bike lanes in the fast lane, potentially taking space away from cars on some of the city’s busiest roads as her powerful political backers push for a multibillion-dollar transportation overhaul.

The incoming mayor has said she wants more protected bicycle lanes, bus-only corridors and redesigned streets — changes that could reignite bitter battles over traffic, parking, small businesses and emergency response times.

Michael Schneider, founder of the influential transportation advocacy group Streets for All, told the California Post he expects Raman to aggressively enforce Measure HLA, the controversial voter-approved law requiring Los Angeles to install planned bike lanes, bus lanes and pedestrian improvements when undertaking major road repairs.

Streets for All’s political action committee pledged $1.2 million to back Raman’s mayoral bid, while billionaire hedge fund manager and bike lane advocate Aaron Sosnick poured $8 million into two independent committees supporting her campaign.

“We want to see Measure HLA implemented; under Bass, city departments have obstructed it and [have wasted] millions in legal fees fighting it. We believe, under Mayor Raman, they will embrace it,” Schneider told The Post.

City officials previously estimated implementing the measure could cost $3.1 billion over a decade, although supporters disputed that figure.

The political muscle behind Raman’s transportation agenda is substantial.

Schneider believes Raman’s victory could finally break years of City Hall resistance to street redesigns.

“Having a mayor who truly cares about traffic violence, implementing Vision Zero and Measure HLA, and doing what it takes to make our streets safer is something all Angelenos will benefit from,” he said.

Raman’s own campaign platform lays out an ambitious vision for reshaping Los Angeles streets, including installing concrete barriers between cyclists and cars, expanding bike lanes, adding speed humps in residential neighborhoods and redesigning intersections to protect pedestrians.

The plans could reshape some of Los Angeles’ busiest surface streets, including Lincoln, Santa Monica, Venice, Sepulveda, Sunset and Ventura boulevards, where planned bike lanes and bus corridors could mean removing traffic lanes or parking spaces.

Raman also wants automated speed cameras, the return of red-light cameras and permanent bus lanes along some routes established for the 2028 Olympics.

The Post reached out to Raman’s City Council office for comment on her transportation priorities. Her office directed questions to her mayoral campaign, which responded by sending a link to the transportation plan posted on her campaign website.

As mayor, Raman will oversee the city’s transportation department and gain considerable influence over Los Angeles Metro, the agency responsible for the county’s buses, subways and light rail.

Raman is also expected to take over as chair of Metro’s 13-member voting board and control three mayoral appointments, giving her a powerful voice in transportation spending and major infrastructure projects.

She has pledged to accelerate rail expansions connecting the San Fernando Valley, Westside and other communities while pushing to resolve years of delays involving the $3.3 billion automated people mover at Los Angeles International Airport.

The airport train, designed to shuttle travelers between terminals and ground transportation, is more than $1 billion over budget and years behind schedule.

But it is the changes to everyday streets that could spark the fiercest opposition.

Councilwoman Traci Park, whose Westside district includes Venice and Pacific Palisades, has been among the most vocal critics of mandatory road diets, which remove or narrow vehicle lanes to accommodate bicycles, buses or pedestrians.

Park opposed Measure HLA in 2024, the voter-approved law requiring Los Angeles to install bike lanes, bus lanes and pedestrian safety improvements outlined in the city’s long-standing mobility plan whenever it undertakes major road repairs.

Park warned the requirements could worsen congestion, hurt neighborhood businesses and delay emergency responders.

“This budgeting by ballot measure is something that unfortunately removes all council office discretion. It eliminates community engagement. It opens up the floodgates for lawsuits,” Park told the Los Angeles Times during the campaign.

The firefighters’ union also opposed the measure, warning narrower roads could slow ambulances and fire engines responding to emergencies.

The Post reached out to Park, who is currently in Washington, D.C., seeking federal funding for the Pacific Palisades wildfire recovery.

The fight over bike lanes has already erupted in Raman’s own council district.

Over the summer, Raman blasted outgoing Mayor Karen Bass for halting a controversial bike lane project along Forest Lawn Drive following neighborhood opposition.

The dispute escalated to the point that state lawmakers intervened, requiring additional public hearings and city approvals before the project could move forward.

Schneider also told The Post he wants the incoming administration to audit city infrastructure spending, particularly the cost of wheelchair-accessible curb ramps, and revive Los Angeles’ struggling Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths.

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