'Figueroa for All' Seeks Comprehensive Transportation Reform

Josef Bray-Ali, owner on the border of Highland Park and Cypress Park, is more than just a cyclist.

He's also a savvy businessman, a father of one young daughter and a civically engaged resident of Northeast Los Angeles.

And "Figueroa for All," Bray-Ali's locally based working group focused on reimagining the transportation infrastructure on one of Highland Park's main thoroughfares, is about more than just bike lanes.

"We don't want to just focus on bike lanes, because the city will just focus on that and tell us 'no,'" said Bray-Ali. 

Instead, he said he envisions a long-term, holistic planning process in which improving biking infrastructure is one part of a larger picture.

Other imperatives, he said, would be increasing public transportation throughput, calming automobile traffic, improving safety for walkers and creating a business culture that caters to Highland Park's increasingly less automobile-centric population.

The next Figueroa for All meeting will be held on Friday, September 9 at 7 p.m. at the Flying Pigeon Bike Shop on 3714 N. Figueroa St.

Short Films Will Screen

Highland Park's will provide food for the event, and Bray-Ali will also be screening some "short and informative" films from Streetfilms to provide attendees with some inspiration.

Bray-Ali said he's also hoping to initiate some of the ideas that were mulled over at the, such as commencing a comprehensive survey of local business and recruiting some volunteers to spread the message of Figueroa for All.

Bray-Ali also suggested the group may collaborate on a large scale photo project dedicated to capturing photos of people cycling in Highland Park.

"We just trying to think of all types of fun ways to engage people," he said. "We need to create a groundswell of political support for whatever is coming next of Figueroa, so when we go to the city to tell them what we want, it will be totally obvious. There will be a lot less acrimony."