Decision ends road diet but leaves other safety measures in place
By Gary Walker
City transportation workers will soon reverse unpopular lane closures in Playa del Rey
Photo courtesy of Carol Kapp
After months of complaints about increased commute times, the filing of two lawsuits and the launch of a recall effort, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilman Mike Bonin announced on Wednesday that they will reverse this summer’s decision to reduce traffic lanes on major roadways in Playa del Rey.
As part of a pilot project to improve traffic safety, the city reconfigured Culver and Jefferson boulevards and Pershing Drive by removing one lane of traffic in each direction and installing new bike lanes. The city simultaneously implemented similar safety-related lane closures on Vista Del Mar, but restored those lanes in July.
Although the effort has some supporters, wider public outrage over the lane closures erupted instantaneously and remains at the forefront of local discussion. Livid South Bay commuters joined forces with angry Westside residents to take legal action against the city and organize an effort to recall Bonin.
In a statement, Garcetti appears to concede that the lane closures — at least in Playa del Rey — had been unsuccessful.
“This pilot program has shown us that lane reductions are not the right approach in Playa del Rey, but we can and will find a way to ease congestion and improve traffic safety in this neighborhood,” Garcetti stated in a joint press release with Bonin. “We have the will and know-how to find smart, balanced, effective and flexible solutions — and I’m confident that the new safety measures we are putting in place will help us accomplish those goals.”
Those pending safety measures include flashing beacon crosswalks and speed feedback signs on Culver and Pershing, raised-pavement “speed tables” that prompt vehicles to reduce speed at intersections, and signal changes that will allow pedestrians to enter crosswalks before vehicles can make right turns.
Under fire over the lane closures in Playa del Rey, Bonin assembled a community task force in August to make recommendations to examine the roadway reconfigurations and make suggestions for improvements, one of which was to restore a traffic lane on Culver. The new crosswalks, speed tables and signal changes were developed in consultation with the task force and Neighborhood Council of Westchester-Playa, according to the statement.
“From the beginning of the Safe Streets for Playa del Rey initiative, community feedback has been a crucial component in creating a safe and inviting community,” Bonin said. “Reducing the frequency and severity of traffic collisions is one of the top public safety imperatives for the city of Los Angeles, and the community-supported safety improvements we are announcing today will help keep people in Playa del Rey safe.
“I am grateful that Mayor Garcetti and I were able to work with LADOT [the city Department of Transportation], neighbors and local businesses to find a way to implement safety measures that can keep people safe without disrupting traffic patterns.”
Read the complete joint statement by Bonin and Garcetti below:
MAYOR GARCETTI, COUNCILMEMBER BONIN ANNOUNCE LANE RESTORATIONS, NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY MEASURES IN PLAYA DEL REY
Lanes for automobile traffic will be restored as the City invests in new features that include flashing crosswalks, adjusted traffic signals, and pedestrian signals that prioritize safety for people traveling on foot
PLAYA DEL REY, CA — Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilmember Mike Bonin today announced a plan to restore traffic lanes on several roads in Playa del Rey, and deliver a series of new safety features to help protect the lives of motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.
The move came at the request of Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Bonin, who asked the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to immediately begin restoring lanes that had been removed on Culver Boulevard, Jefferson Boulevard and Pershing Drive — and to install new, strong traffic safety measures to be completed over the next several months.
“This pilot program has shown us that lane reductions are not the right approach in Playa del Rey, but we can and will find a way to ease congestion and improve traffic safety in this neighborhood,” said Mayor Garcetti. “We have the will and know-how to find smart, balanced, effective, and flexible solutions — and I’m confident that the new safety measures we are putting in place will help us accomplish those goals.”
The new safety measures include new crosswalks with flashing beacons to better protect pedestrians; “speed tables” that prompt vehicles to reduce speed at intersections; speed feedback signs that notify drivers when they have exceeded posted limits; “pedestrian head start” signals that allow people on foot to enter crosswalks at intersections before vehicles are allowed to make turns; and traffic signals that will be adjusted to require drivers to slow down as they approach downtown Playa del Rey from Culver Boulevard.
“From the beginning of the Safe Streets for Playa del Rey initiative, community feedback has been a crucial component in creating a safe and inviting community,” said Councilmember Bonin. “Reducing the frequency and severity of traffic collisions is one of the top public safety imperatives for the City of Los Angeles, and the community-supported safety improvements we are announcing today will help keep people in Playa del Rey safe. I am grateful that Mayor Garcetti and I were able to work with LADOT, neighbors and local businesses to find a way to implement safety measures that can keep people safe without disrupting traffic patterns.”
The full list of new safety features includes:
• Speed Feedback Signs – LADOT will place speed feedback signs on Culver Boulevard and Pershing Drive, notifying drivers when they have exceeded the speed limit.
• Flashing Beacon Crosswalks – LADOT will add flashing beacons to the crosswalk at Culver Boulevard and Pershing Drive to better protect pedestrians as they cross the street.
• New Crosswalks – LADOT will install new flashing beacon crosswalks at Culver Boulevard and Earldom Avenue and at Pershing Drive and Rees.
• Speed Tables – LADOT will install speed tables at crosswalks to slow speeding traffic and protect pedestrians.
• “Rest in Red” Signals – The traffic signal at Culver and Nicholson and Culver and Vista Del Mar will be adjusted to require drivers to slow their speed as they approach downtown Playa del Rey from Culver Boulevard. “Rest in red” settings will also be applied to signals at Pershing and Manitoba, Pershing and Westchester Parkway, Culver and Vista Del Mar and Culver and Nicholson.
• Leading Pedestrian Intervals – Commonly referred to as “pedestrian head start” signals, crossing signals will be adjusted to allow pedestrians to enter crosswalks at intersections before vehicles are allowed to make their turns. This will occur at Pershing and Manchester, Pershing and Manitoba, and Pershing and Westchester Parkway.
The Mayor and Councilmember will work together to identify funding to expedite installation of new pedestrian-activated signals at intersections that include Culver and Earldom, Culver and Pershing, and Pershing and Rees. Mayor Garcetti said he would direct the LAPD to step up speed enforcement in the area, and City officials will work with state officials to explore ways to lower automobile speed through the Ballona Wetlands.
Prior to today’s announcement, LADOT had already restored lanes on Vista Del Mar and Culver Boulevard. Today’s action will restore lanes on Culver, Jefferson and Pershing, and expedite implementation of the new safety features — which were the subject of close talks between City officials and local residents, business owners, and members of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa Neighborhood Council and the Playa del Rey Safer Streets Task Force.
The announcement won praise and expressions of gratitude from local stakeholders:
“These safety measures will make Playa del Rey a safer community for the people who live here, work, and enjoy our community,” said Cyndi Hench, President of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa. “Our community is eager to move forward and I appreciate the work of Mayor Garcetti, Councilmember Bonin and the neighbors who have been passionately engaged on this topic. I think this is a great resolution to a complicated issue.”
Hench’s appreciation for the announcement was echoed by local businesses, including by Lisa Schwab, the owner of Cantalini’s Salerno Beach Restaurant.
“These safety measures strike the right balance between improving safety and keeping traffic moving,” said Schwab. “This has been a contentious topic of debate in our community and it shows a lot of leadership and commitment to the people they represent for Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Bonin to do the work they have done to make this announcement possible. As a business owner in Playa del Rey, I am happy with the lane restoration and safety improvements and I thank the Mayor and Councilmember for being willing to listen and adapt the pilot project based on the input they heard.”
“The LAX Area Chamber of Commerce fully supports the added safety measures and lane restoration,” added David Voss, Board Member with the LAX Area Chamber. “Reducing traffic congestion and keeping people safe are both important goals for the local businesses we represent and we are very fortunate to have responsive and collaborative local elected leaders like Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Bonin.”
The announcement also received praise from some of the neighbors who have been advocating for safer streets in Playa del Rey.
“I got involved with this issue a couple years ago because I wanted to feel safe walking around my neighborhood in Playa del Rey,” said Ryan Wewers, a Playa del Rey resident who has been a vocal supporter of the Safe Streets for Playa del Rey Initiative. “Back then, I couldn’t have even imagined the number of safety improvements Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember announced today. This goes a long way to make our streets safer for everyone.”
“While I’m disappointed that the first phase of this three phase pilot project was unable to move forward, I’m very pleased to see that the second and third phases of these long-overdue safety measures that the community asked for as part of the Safer Streets for Playa del Rey Initiative in 2015 will finally be implemented thanks to this action by Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Bonin,” added Playa del Rey neighborhood leader and safety advocate, Julie Ross.
Additionally, Bonin and Garcetti said they planned to work with the Playa del Rey small business community to create programs and projects to enhance the downtown area. Those measures include additional parking, wider sidewalks, art work, lighting and more.
Lane restoration work is scheduled to begin with Culver and Jefferson Boulevards on October 27, with work on Pershing beginning in November. Lane restoration work is scheduled to begin with Culver and Jefferson Boulevards on October 27, with work on Pershing beginning in November. A remaining stretch of Vista Del Mar, from Waterview to Culver Boulevard, will remain narrowed until after the Bureau of Engineering completes work in the area on the Dual Force Main project — a long-planned, multi-million dollar project to prevent an environmentally devastating sewage leak into the Santa Monica Bay.
No doubt the Recall of Mike Bonin will continue anyway. Just about everyone that I know in Playa del Rey liked the new cycle lanes and felt that most of the complainants were from Manhattan Beach. Thesis a very sad day for us.
Bzzt … wrong. Most of those happy about bike lines were from Playa Vista — as a 20 year PDR resident and cyclist, I couldn’t car less about those bike lanes. Myself and my neighbors hated the extra commute time. I am planning to give Bonin a “mulligan” and forgive this one mistake, since he corrected the problem as expediently as I suspect he could.
Got to Buzz you on this one. Bike Lanes work Both Ways. It would seem pretty convenient considering the Playa Vista Project was conceived as a Live/Work /Shop neighborhood to Reduce commuter traffic. That would seem to be the point. There should be lanes for riders to/from PDR to PV to accommodate them if they choose to ride. I’d bet it won’t be long till there will be more riding from PDR as this moves forward. There are less people attached to their cars now, and certainly more residents od PDR will be employed by the “Silicon Beach” companies who are more used to this type of commuting.
Bzzt… Wrong. As a 21 year resident of PDR and a cyclist, I found the new bike lanes fantastic. Traveling through the wetlands has served as a mental break from the “big city” for the entirety of my time in PDR. I’m not sure where in PDR the enclave of business drones you and your neighbors live, but my neighbors and I loved that we could finally ride with our children safely down Pershing and head either direction and Culver. And the returning Vista Del Mar to the parking and traffic deathmatch that it was is ridiculous.
bzzt, try data. In a California open records request, Bonin had to provide thousands of pages and emails as part of that request. Bonin’s own calculations showed residents against the road diets 10:1. That is consistent with other petitions and polls. Bonin, of course, lied about “the majority in PDR” liking the bike lanes.
But in the case of Pershing, people did like the bike lanes and the Neighborhood Council asked Bonin to remove the road diets on VDM and Culver, but leave on Pershing. Bonin couldn’t leave them on Pershing. You know why? Because they lied on the EIR exemption – an exemption is only available if the street is lightly traveled. They submitted a number half of what LADOT’s own documentation and analysis showed. So the EIR exemption was fraudulently applied and granted.
Idk anyone in PDR who liked the road diets, and every cyclist I know thought the cycle lanes were still unsafe and oddly placed. Most ppl in Manhattan Beach disliked them or didn’t care. Basically, anyone of my friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and strangers with a lick of common sense thought the plan was not thoroughly discussed, poorly planned, and catered to a tiny population of the community, as well as the entire city. I cycle on the bike path, on roads, going camping, and running errands. This was not, and is not, the proper way to implement urban transportation planning.
Excuse me???, I live in Playa, everyone I know here hated the diet and it was brutal on our commute times. Don’t blame Southbay it was US too.
This is a city we live in not a country village.
Petria, your contention is completely false. Through a California Public Records Act request, Mike Bonin had to produce 5000 pages including emails related to public comment on this issue. The Count was 1545 against, 191 in favor of the lane reductions. LACBC, Mike Bonin, and you are wrong in contending that any sort of majority was in favor of these lane changes. Likewise, there are two petitions online regarding this issue, those signing against total 7740 while those in favor of gridlock total 760. I’ll save you the math, both approach a 10:1 ratio against. I don’t have figures on those who hate manhattan beach as you do, but we do know a couple.
I’m happy for Playa del Rey’s residents & commuters for getting the strangling fingers of Bonehead & Garcetti off their roads.
But, nothing has been done for the still suffering Mar Vista residents who desire to use Venice Blvd. I know for myself, that I go to great lengths to avoid that traffic clogging stretch of street by taking other routes to go East & West. I’m sure that the Washington Blvd. merchants are happy to take up the sales slack from their embattled cousins.
This is a great day for Playa Del Rey. The vast majority of locals hated the gridlock, decreased safety, increased road rage and increased pollution of the idiotic road diet. RecallBonin.com
How dumb, Bonin. Should this not have been done first? Failure to plan is planning to fail. “I am grateful that Mayor Garcetti and I were able to work with LADOT, neighbors and local businesses to find a way to implement safety measures that can keep people safe without disrupting traffic patterns.” How about start with a plan. How much did this cost the taxpayers for the three different, failed remedies. The roads look worse after all of this., Bonin
We served a public records request on Bonin’s office and one of the documents we received was a count of positive/negative feedback that had been received about the “road diet” in PdR. There were 191 comments received in favor of the “road diet” and 1545 comments received against the “road diet”. That’s 89% of 1736 comments received by Bonin’s office were against what was done in PdR. Anyone who says that most people in PdR were in favor of this is either living in a bubble or lying.
And as a member of the task force I can tell you that this statement is completely false, we never talked about any of these things in the 5 meetings we had:
“The new crosswalks, speed tables and signal changes were developed in consultation with the task force and Neighborhood Council of Westchester-Playa, according to the statement.”
These suggestions were made in the coummunity meetings attended by about 50 people in the year or two before all this was implemented in June of this year.
“Anyone who says that most people in PdR were in favor of this is either living in a bubble or lying”…..both, living in a bottle AND lying!!!!!!!.
I am beyond thankful for the reversal of this ill conceived road diet. The planning and implementation of this project was so poorly done and countless hours were wasted sitting in traffic. For those that say the traffic was marginal, I timed my commute – nightly – from the 90 fwy to my home and it averaged between 17 – 25 minutes where it used to be 5 – 7. Not to mention tax payers money wasted on this project. And the increase in pollution to the wetlands. I could go on and on but I will say thank you to those that helped make this reversal happen. There was never a need for bike lanes as there is a bike path near Ballona creek. I am hoping Playa del Rey can go back to being the quiet and friendly neighborhood it was before these changes happened.
The “new” changes are what should have been done in the first place. What a flippin’ waste of taxpayer money in the name of a social experiment.
Recallbonin.com
What a complete waste of taxpayer resources. These politicians implemented an obviously flawed plan to create grid-lock in our town and then are surprised by the back-lash they received. Of course it failed! And how many dollars have we wasted on this exercise just to get back to where we started? They should have implemented the better cross-walks and actual safety measures in the first place, rather than increasing traffic in an already congested area, and cutting off local small businesses from pass-through patrons. I hope the recall Bonin campaign continues.
The traffic and congestion these ill advised changes created was terrible for PDR. Going back is a decision we should all be happy about. We can all agree traffic is getting worse in this city, I am not sure how reducing lanes was thought of as the solution. If strong arming us to ride our bikes everywhere was their goal, which it seems to be, that will never happen, this city was not developed in that way. I am just glad they are reversing course.
Bonin’s recklessness will leave lasting scars in PDR, a place I have called home for 25 years. But at least the lanes will apparently be coming back. I still won’t believe it until it actually happens. The snakes in city hall talk out of both sides of their mouth.
Why do we have information related to documentation, from Councilman Bonin’s office, that contradicts what is contended in this article, yet, the ”
journalist” simply types whatever they are told by the politicians with no background, no checking on accuracy? Is journalism so dead that the Argonaut just reproduces press releases?
What a waste of public funds! If only the politicians had communicated with their constituents BEFORE instead of after the changes, the right changes might have been addressed and funds to UNDO THE HARM could have been avoided!
This should have happened long ago. Bad idea. Totally ill-conceived. Happy for the residents of Playa and for those who can visit now without having to be stuck in horrible traffic. Great great news!
What a monumental waste of money and resources! So glad the lanes will be restored, but still mad that PDR even had to go through this in the first place. Most of my neighbors in PDR did not support the changes. It has been a fiasco since the start. I’m just worried that they are planning to do more of this all over LA. You can’t reduce lanes if you offer people no other alternatives! Thinking that everyone is going to bike everywhere is unrealistic. They need to restore the lanes and fix the mess they created on Venice too!
Thanks Goodness! I can go visit my niece again after 4pm. I’m afraid the only ones who enjoyed the new bike lines were the homeless campers that appeared on Jefferson eastbound, at the wetlands viewing point, so kind of you to offer them free parking w a view, with NOT ONE bicycle on the lanes. Never seen that in my 37 years of driving here. Let it be known, just in case this would ever be considered again, local bicyclists are smart enough to know to there’s a bike path along the channel, we DO NOT ride on Jefferson to the beach. We’ve lost enough friends on this road, at Culver, over the years.
Glad to see this nonsense is over. People’s lives were put at a standstill for no reason. And to those who used the bike lanes for leisure, there is a perfectly good bike path along ballona creek, very safe.
And for the record, I have lived in PDR for 5 years and not one resident of PDR that I know was in favor of this so called road diet.
I was and am in favor of the road diet. I own a house in the Jungle and my family and our friends support it.
I’m a Westchester resident. I am very glad to see that the road games have stopped and things will now go back to the way it was before the term ” road diet” reared its ugly head.
Just wondering how “they” came up with the excuse to leave the road diet in place from Waterview to Culver!!! They say to accommodate the
upcoming Sewer project. I attended many meetings for the sewer and I never saw anything that the road would be narrowed. So who made that story up? There were maps and Traffic People from the City for the sewer project however there was no mention of of a road reduction.
Is this accurate? I think not
I’m glad Bonin came to his senses, but what a ridiculous waste of resources! Time and money was wasted, suffering was inflicted on the residents and the community was torn apart. I hope Mike Bonin never tries to run for another elected office. What an epic failure he is.
Now it’s time to turn our attention to Venice Blvd, where the road diet there is causing gridlock every day, cut through traffic into our neighborhoods and hurting small businesses. There have been 10 car vs bike accidents in the protected bike lanes since May 20th!
I loved the road diet. I felt very safe. They fixed two major safety issues for us. Left turn lane into Pacific from Vista Del Mar and defined lanes on Culver turning left on to Trolly Way. These improvements are life savers! I also love how Bonin committed to doing something about safety, rolled out a plan for community feedback with the understanding that adjustments would be made (30 days, then 60 days, then 90 day…then another round of that). He did exactly what he said he would do. I’ve got so much respect for that. We are so lucky to have such a great community guy working so hard to improve our quality of like. I’m grateful for all his efforts and look forward to the alternate safety measures that will be rolled out. I personally NEVER experienced any traffic issues other than waiting for an extra light. And I felt the road diet would make huge development in this town impossible, guess that’s back on the table now too….
PDR resident and I loved the bike lanes. Only wish they could put speed humps on Pershing to slow down traffic. The crosswalks added will be great but people still speed up and down Pershing like it’s a freeway.
The road diet was a great idea for increasing neighborhood unity and bringing a “beach tourist vibe” to our long-forgotten town.
Loud, out-of-area voices and mishandled public forums corrupted a real dialogue among Playa del Rey residents to be able to make some much-needed change to enhance life in our community. Commuters boldly stated that their only consideration was “commute time,” not a very civic-minded perspective.
Supporting commuting is not the only value of Play del Rey. The newer road pattern developments will require police oversight if they are to be effective in producing safe streets, something we have not as yet seen without the road diet implementations.
I hope that as we erase the good by removing the bike and walking lane separations, those of us who are Playa del Rey long-time residents who love our town will sustain a commitment to beautification and developing our community for tourism, just as El Segundo, Hermosa, and Manhattan Beach have been able to do in their smaller jurisdictions. We hope we can reframe the corrupted dialogue to better enjoy our community for the reasons we chose to and continue to live here.
The Pilot Road Diet Program is over for a number of reasons, and unfortunately the Public Safety of this small community is not one of them. But my real concern now is, what does this mean for development in Playa del Rey? The scintillating views of the Westchester Bluffs and LMU are Gone Forever along Jefferson Blvd and Playa Vista isn’t done yet. Will there be another corridor of this overbuilt and overpopulated Commercial and Residential properties be next along Culver and Jefferson west of Lincoln? The complaints of traffic are valid, and nothing I’ve seen has mentioned alleviating the current issue, although the Road diet tried. The traffic through PDR wasn’t very good to begin with and now it’s back to Zero and Going Down.
FAAACKING FINALLY!!! The road diet was an exercise in pure stupidity, and a complete waste of everyone’s time and money. Hundreds of hours wasted in a purposely created traffic jam. All it did was damage PDR businesses and frustrate commuters trying to get home to their families. In what world did it make this community any safer? A long time ago I learned personal responsibility. If I’m crossing a street I look both ways, sometimes twice if the street is well traveled. If I’m on my bike, I watch out for pedestrians and make sure I avoid cars. If I’m driving I watch out for pedestrians and cyclists. Understanding my surroundings and paying attention is how I feel safe. Paralyzing multiple communities and businesses, under the guise of safety all to add more bike lanes when there is a perfectly good and rather safe bike path that was already in use was completely inane. Thank god this stupidity was reversed before all of the PDR businesses went under.
I personally liked some of the road diet changes especially those on Pershing (full disclosure: i live on Pershing). I used to have inconsiderate drivers trying to get up to 50+MPH before the first or second streets. I’d have them tailgating and horning me as I would be trying to slow down to safely make a right turn. Since the changes on Pershing, this has mostly subsided. Hopefully, the bad behavior doesn’t return.
I also really liked the and used the bike lanes on Culver and Jefferson as it reduced my couple-times-a-week bike commute by time and distance. I will miss that. My drive commute was affected a little but I didn’t mind. I suspect the undo-ing of the roads won’t make much of a difference since the volume of traffic is increasing yearly anyways and we’re simply moving the pinch points and not providing actual solutions for that. Removing all the street parking on Highland in Manhattan Beach would open 2 additional lanes north and southbound for the other beach cities. Just saying…
The safety plan had many supporters, local residents who had sought relief from the city and LADOT to implement changes that would make our streets safer and fight back against aggressive drivers speeding recklessly through our town to get a head start into the narowed lanes and safer streets of their own communities. THIS is how this started. We tried to do a good thing for the community and bring in new ideas and approaches. We would never know what would work and what wouldn’t without this effort. And the effort took a couple years and public meetings before a single lane was restriped. I attended the meetings, I had my doubts. But we had to try. The pushback was so aggressive and bullying from the start. So politicized, so vulgar at times. I do hope now there is room for reflection and I urge everyone to look back at their actions and comments in this and other publications, on-line and in print. Reread the history of your participation and decide if this is the person you want to be. We still need solutions to the original challenge of creating safety. Will you be part of that solution? Will you drive slower? Will you work toward better change?