Park La Brea Impacted Residents Group (PLBIRG) is a non-profit watchdog group made up of multi-family residents in the historic Park La Brea apartment community. We focus on land use, transportation and public safety matters on the the Park La Brea perimeter.
PLBIRG was born in 2018 when a group of neighbors banded together to advocate with City officials over concerns that a major development proposed on the PLB perimeter would exacerbate existing traffic congestion and pedestrian safety issues.
Among our concerns was that the project’s doubling in density would increase the number of people using unsafe midblock crossings to go to and from the site. PLBIRG photodocumented an alarming frequency of pedestrians crossing Fairfax in the vicinity of Blackburn going to and from CVS and Whole Foods without the benefit of a marked crosswalk. This included elders and the disabled in wheelchairs crossing in traffic— because the nearest crosswalk entailed a two block detour (up to 3rd St., wait for signal to cross at the collision-prone intersection, then walk back down beyond Blackburn) just to cross the street to go to the pharmacy! At our request, LADOT conducted pedestrian counts which confirmed that the volume of people crossing Fairfax in the vicinity of Blackburn far exceeded LADOT’s 20 per hour benchmark for installing a marked crosswalk. We also observed an even more alarming amount of pedestrians were navigating through busy traffic to cross 3rd Street in the vicinity of Gilmore Lane going back and forth between the Grove / Original Farmers Market and the shopping center on the other side of Third. The nearest crosswalk was across Ogden, connecting Ross Dress for Less with…nothing. The public still had to double back to Gilmore Lane to enter the Grove or original Farmers Market. PLBIRG obtained collision data via a public records request confirming that these sections of Fairfax and 3rd Street were highly dangerous to pedestrians.
Yet in spite of all of this evidence, the City told us they would not consider installing new crosswalks due to budget shortfalls. The city said the existing crosswalks involving two to four block (round trip) detours were adequate.
Undaunted, PLBIRG appealed a major development project out of concern the increased density would exacerbate the existing pedestrian hazards, and ultimately negotiated a legally binding commitment to pay for signalized crosswalks to be built at both the Fairfax Blackburn and Third Gilmore Lane locations, with expected completion in 2026. Watch for our for our updates.
PLBIRG’s Fairfax Blackburn Crosswalk Initiative
APRIL 2026 UPDATE: PLBIRG has manifested the fabulous new Fairfax Blackburn Hawk Signal crosswalk which debuted in April 2026 to the acclaim and benefit of the Fairfax small businesses, Beverly Grove residents, Whole Foods Market, CVS, and community at large. School crossing signage was required by law to be included due to the nearby elementary school (which wasn’t involved in securing this infrastructure).
PLBIRG fought for six years to provide the community with the these crosswalks.
Third Street Gilmore Lane Crosswalk Initiative
APRIL 2026 UPDATE: Work is nearly complete on a new crosswalk at Gilmore Lane connecting the Grove and Original Farmers Market to the new Whole Foods mixed use complex on Third St. between Ogden and Gilmore Lane. Pedestrians will no longer have to walk over to Ross to visit or exit the Grove safely. Stay tuned for updated images when the new crosswalk opens this Summer 2026. This project is a proud achievement for PLBIRG who went to the mat to negotiate the funding and installation commitment from a major developer after City officials refused to mitigate the massive hazard or require the new development project to do so.
3rd Street, looking northeast toward Gilmore Lane. After PLBIRG documented that hundreds of people per day were crossing unsafely between the Town and Country shopping Center (former site of K-Mart) and the Grove/Farmers Market the City failed to act despite fatalities. In 2022 PLBIRG negotiated a binding commitment from a third party to install a signalized crosswalk at Gilmore Lane, estimated completion in 2026.
Before the new Fairfax Blackburn crosswalk was completed, Beverly Grove residents and customers and employees of the small businesses on the west side of Fairfax were often seen crossing Fairfax near Blackburn to visit CVS or Whole Foods. Many Beverly Grove residents got in their cars and drove to the pharmacy or market rather than shelp on foot an extra two blocks each way with heavy bags of groceries. The nearest crosswalk was a full city block to the north, at 3rd St., making for a ridiculous 500-foot detour just to cross the street to visit the pharmacy or grocery store. In 2019 PLBIRG petitioned CD4 and LADOT with photographic evidence proving the volume far exceeded the City’s benchmark for installing a marked crosswalk, which the City confirmed with its own pedestrian count , yet officials still failed to act. In 2022 PLBIRG negotiated a binding commitment from a third party to fund and build the Fairfax Blackburn and Third St. Gilmore Lane signalized crosswalks so the public can enjoy safe passage going to and from the pharmacy and grocery market, and between the new Whole Foods and the Grove, reducing the need for making a vehicle trip when it’s convenient and safe to travel by foot.
PLBIRG’s Campaign for a Safe Crosswalk on Sixth Street to visit LACMA and the Tar Pits
2017
2024
At left: Prior to PLBIRG’s efforts, the Spaulding gate was the sole entrance to the Tar Pits on Sixth St., yet the closest crosswalks were two blocks (Ogden) and three blocks (Curson) away. Hundreds of residents live directly across from the Tar Pits’ Spaulding entrance, and abundant free parking lined the north side of Sixth St., which attracted visitors to park across from the entrance (to avoid a $20 flat rate charge in the Tar Pits surface lot) and cross Sixth in traffic, rather than walk a four+ block loop just to cross the street. PLBIRG’s campaign for a Sixth-Spaulding crosswalk began in 2017 after an elder was run over crossing here to take her family to LACMA.
2019
Below: The City’s first effort to respond to PLBIRG’s advocacy, in 2019, was inadequate, with most of the bollards demolished immediately, leaving elders and slower moving pedestrians in the crosshairs when drivers failed to come to a complete stop (or any stop) at the flashing red light, an all too frequent occurence.
Among PLBIRG’s most significant accomplishments are the 2019 installation — and 2024 safety upgrade — of a crosswalk spanning Sixth St. at Spaulding, site of the Tar Pits only entrance on Sixth Street. This PLBIRG-sponsored crosswalk connects the Museum campus with thousands of Park La Brea residents living across from the entrance and the museum-going public who use the free street parking on the north side of Sixth St.. Previously, the nearest crosswalk connecting the Tar Pits with the north side of Sixth required walking two blocks to Ogden, or three blocks to Curson, then doubling back to wind up directly across from where you started out. This dysfunctional 4-5 block detour motivated hundreds of people every day to cross “midblock” in traffic to access and exit the Spaulding gate to the museum campus.
In 2017 a 67 year old woman was fatally struck crossing Sixth at Spaulding after her family parked opposite the museum entrance to take her grandson to LACMA. After observing the site and realizing this was no random jaywalking, but a well traveled pedestrian “Desire Path,” PLBIRG co-founder Barbara Gallen petitioned the City to install a marked crosswalk with a pedestrian activated signal to prevent further tragedy. To her astonishment, the City replied that it wasn’t needed, citing the Ogden and Curson crosswalks two and three blocks away, respectively!
Barbara proceeded to photodocument that hundreds of pedestrians were crossing midblock in the vicinity of the Spaulding museum entrance— including museum employees and County construction workers. And no wonder— the County-owned LACMA/Tar Pits museum campus is one of SoCal’s premier tourist and family destinations and their parking lots cost $20, while street parking across from the Spaulding entrance on Sixth St. was free. The newly formed Park La Brea Impacted Residents Group (PLBIRG) reached out to other agencies including the Department on Disability and the County of Los Angeles. In 2018 mobilized museum-goers and Park La Brea residents to send emails to the council office. With persistence PLBIRG eventually persuaded then-councilmember Ryu to support it, too.
When the HAWK signal crosswalk was installed in summer 2019, it was safety-challenged from the get-go. It lacked eye level signage and nothing to stop drivers from barreling down the restricted center lane when they got frustrated with the slow moving through lane. After PLBIRG reported the danger, LADOT installed a set of six plastic bollards in the center lane although we had asked for a concrete island with eye level signage. Within six months traffic had demolished half of the bollards—showing just how vulnerable pedestrians crossing here were. In 2023 PLBIRG mounted a new campaign to achieve a truly safe crosswalk, which this time was embraced by a responsive LADOT staff. In November 2024, the upgraded crosswalk (see photo) debuted with a concrete refuge and high visibility eye-level signage.
More safety improvements coming in 2026!
We’re excited to report that PLBIRG’s ongoing advocacy campaign for safety upgrades at two perilous crossings on Hauser Blvd. have borne fruit. The first of the two (Hauser Fuller) was completed earlier this year and the crosswalk upgrade at Hauser Fourth St. is set to begin construction in Summer 2026. Images are forthcoming.
We’re also excited to announce our partnership with Natural History Museum of LA County (Tar Pits) to address the chaos and pedestrian hazards associated withthe Museum’s midblock entrances on S. Curson. Stay tuned for updates!
At left: In response to PLBIRG’s 2023 follow-up advocacy campaign, in Nov. 2024, LADOT installed this concrete island and eye level signage, dramatically enhancing pedestrian safety going to and from the Museum campus. Now, if slower moving pedestrians cannot complete the crossing before the solid red light changes to flashing, they can take the crossing in two phases, out of harm’s way.