LADOT moves to data-driven speed-hump prioritization after budget cut; committee approves coordination with council offices

Councilwoman Heather Hutt, chair of the Los Angeles City Transportation Committee, on April 9 approved a Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) proposal to shift the city's residential speed-hump program from a petition-based application model to a purely data-driven prioritization system and directed LADOT to coordinate the prioritized list with local council offices before publication.

The change responds to a drop in program funding from $1,900,000 in prior cycles to $715,000 for fiscal year 2024–25, a cut LADOT staff said will reduce the number of speed-hump installations citywide from roughly 300 under the prior budget to about 120 under the current allocation.

The committee heard LADOT presentations laying out proposed prioritization criteria and the rationale for abandoning the petition process. "Speed humps are a proven strategy for enhancing road safety by reducing vehicle speeds and collision severity," Rachel Junkin, supervising transportation planner 1 at LADOT, told the committee. LADOT recommended weighting safety measures at 50 percent, equity at 30 percent and proximity to community destinations at 20 percent when ranking candidate corridors.

Principal transportation engineer Cardinal Shriels described operational differences between the old petition model and the proposed data-driven approach. "The difference is based on this data driven approach — we're going to use metrics and data to inform the prioritized list of location that we would be advancing," Shriels said, adding that the petition requirement for two-thirds adjacent property-owner support would be removed for locations meeting feasibility requirements.

Committee members questioned whether relying on the Mobility Plan 2035 Neighborhood Enhanced Network (NEN) and the proposed weighting would leave some communities out. Dan Mitchell, assistant general manager for project delivery and operations at LADOT, acknowledged a trade-off: the new approach aims to use limited funds strategically to create a connected network, but some locations that previously qualified via petitions could be ineligible under the new criteria.

The committee also pressed LADOT on cost and procurement. Staff said the typical capital cost per location is about $6,000 and that the department will follow up on whether using Bureau of Street Services (BSS) asphalt production or alternate contracting could reduce unit costs. LADOT told the committee it would return in 120 days with a ranked list of corridors for the 2025 program cycle.

Action and amendment

Councilmember Hutt moved to approve LADOT's recommendations. Council member Park supported an amendment instructing LADOT, in coordination with local council offices, to use the department's preliminary prioritization indicators and to consider NEN segments when identifying eligible streets; that amendment was seconded and adopted. A separate Park proposal to divide the fiscal year 2024–25 speed-hump budget ($715,000) equally across 15 council districts did not receive a second and was not adopted.

The committee recorded roll-call votes on the final motion for items 6 and 7 as: Hutt — yes; Park — yes; Hernandez — yes. The motion carried.

Why it matters

LADOT officials said the program has been oversubscribed and the petition-based process created barriers tied to language access, digital access and difficulty obtaining signatures in multifamily areas. The change aims to prioritize installations where they will deliver the greatest safety and equity benefits given sharply reduced funding. Council members asked staff to pursue cost-savings in procurement and to coordinate outreach with council offices to notify residents of the approach change.

Implementation and next steps

LADOT will post and share a ranked list of corridors and report back to council in approximately 120 days with that list and additional details on procurement and cost-savings opportunities. Staff said separate, school-focused speed-hump funding remains a distinct program and will continue to be advanced independently.