Lane closures on Venice Boulevard remain a lightning rod for public discourse
By Gary Walker

A July 11 community meeting about similar traffic lane reductions on Venice Boulevard had residents showing their colors — orange signs in opposition, black signs in support
Photo by Mia Duncans
Separated only by the Small Batch ice cream shop, L.A. Brakeless bicycle shop owner Anna Martin and Venice Grind coffee shop owner Demitrios Mavromichalis have both seen Mar Vista’s once-depressed commercial core morph into a lively downtown area over the past decade.
The two remained cordial neighbors until last May, when city officials launched a controversial reconfiguration of Venice Boulevard that removed one traffic lane in each direction to install protected bike lines between the sidewalk and parking spaces.
Now they barely talk, reflecting broader community division and acrimony surrounding the project.
L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin, who declined to comment for this story, has explained Mar Vista’s road diet as a response to two Garcetti-administration initiatives: the neighborhood-centric Great Streets, which aims to reclaim commuter pass-through zones as pedestrian-friendly public spaces, and Vision Zero, a set of traffic-calming measures in response to rising road fatalities.
At the conclusion of year one, the city is still evaluating traffic safety impacts. But the social impacts are clear: social media posts screaming with vitriol, speculation and personal attacks; a recall campaign against Bonin that hasn’t taken flight but still won’t die; neighbors lining up against neighbors.
Supporters welcome the bike lanes and traffic-calming measures as safety enhancements that encourage people to get out of their cars and actually be a part of the neighborhood. Detractors say lane closures have failed to improve safety but succeeded in increasing commute times and encouraging cut-through traffic on residential streets.
Martin, who likes the additional bicycle lanes, said she no longer talks to Mavromichalis, largely because of his association with the Recall Bonin group.
“I’m glad that I know where he stands so I can stay away from them,” she said.
Mavromichalis says Venice Boulevard merchants have seen a roughly 30% drop in sales since last May, and he fears the worst is yet to some.
“We’re seeing businesses close up and down the boulevard,” he said, citing former Grandview Boulevard restaurant Louie of Mar Vista, the retail operation for local boutique soap-maker Soaptopia, and several others. “A year later, we’re no better; we’re worse.”
At least three Mar Vista Community Council members have resigned over what they describe as threats and innuendo surrounding the ongoing road diet debate.
The lane closures have also emerged as a litmus test of sorts for new community council appointees.
On May 8, board member Michelle Krupkin — a Vision Zero opponent — asked a candidate for a board seat a series of questions, including “what is your position on the road diet” before the vote. In April, she and two other community council members walked out of a meeting after they were unable to muster enough votes for their preferred candidates for open seats.
“This was the most painful and unpleasant experience that I’ve had to go through in my 15-plus years of being on the neighborhood council,” recalled board member Ken Alpern, an outspoken critic of the lane closures who joined Krupkin in the walkout.
Mitchell Rishe, a board member from 2012 until 2016, said it was the most divisive topic that he has seen in Mar Vista. Because of it, he no longer follows the business of his former council colleagues.
“I could not tolerate the bullying, threats and mean-spiritedness coming from the opponents of Vision Zero, which drove some of our best community council leaders to resign,” Rishe said.
The introduction of the Bird scooter to our traffic mix makes the road diet even more important as it effectively separates the small vehicles from the large. We have to face facts: we can’t go back in time to when cars flowed freely along six-lane wide boulevards and pedestrians were rare, but smog days were not. We’ve evolved and we need to allow our transportation system to evolve as well.
Traffic is tight and its not going to get any better, with or without the road diet. We must make room for other modes of transportation, or else we will all just be either stuck in our homes or stuck in gridlock.
So one lane on either side has been taken away for a total of what, six blocks? And the rest of Venice (miles and miles long) is still 6 lanes wide. How does this help anything? So you’re saying pedestrians, bikes, birds and everything else only utilize those 6 blocks? And that makes them feel safe? Wow, that’s a miracle!
All pedestrians, cyclists and bird riders will need to move to the area on either side of this 6-block road diet to feel safe, smog free and more evolved. Nice.
Those restricted 6 blocks have caused so much neighborhood disharmony, loss of business, closed businesses, traffic jams galore, road rage, and an uptick in accidents both vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle. Oh, and let’s not forget about fire trucks and paramedics at the nearby station that get stuck in that gridlock when they should be putting out fires, saving lives, etc.
Tunnel vision, shortsightedness and total lack of regard by Bonin, Garcetti and all who support this lunacy of an idea….all for 6 blocks.
You’re right. They need to extend this safer configuration to Lincoln and mid-city. That way, folks can get around without fearing for their lives.
If you want to kill me with your car, I’ll pick you up by your ears and throw you into a wall. Try it bud.
great job by bonin to get outreach and studies before shoving the road diet down peoples throats! way to split apart the neighborhood!
If you believe the slowing of Westside traffic and 6 + blocks of wider bike lanes is part of Vision Zero, I have a bridge to sell you. It is a selfish attempt by Bonin and some of Mar Vista residents to create a personal shopping area like Larchmont Blvd. in Hancock Park or Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. Would be great if it did not lengthen the commute of they rest of Los Angeles’ residents using Venice Blvd. And forget about L.A. residents trying to get to the beach and home during the summer. It would be great if it didn’ t impede fire trucks an ambulances and significantly lenghten their response time to help the rest of us. It would be great if it did not result in heavier north/south and cut through traffic caused by cars trying escape the gridlock in Mar Vista. I personally find parking next to traffic in Mar Vista dangerous to get in and out of your car and uncomfortable making a formerly 3 lane street into 1 lane while I park! Thus, though sad for the merchants, I no longer stop and shop in Mar Vista. And won’t unless the the lanes are restored.
As a Mar Vista stakeholder of 28 years it’s clear to me that Councilman Mike Bonin still has not fully accepted his lack of leadership regarding these issues. While he now defers the responsibility of “road diets” and “vision zero” to the Mayors office, there was ample opportunity for him to involve the community with open Town Hall meetings, listen and develope a consensus before enactment of the programs mentioned. Safety, pollution, all of the things of common community interest have been politicized further galvanizing opposing opinions. Again, the opportunity for the Councilman to actively participate in healing the divide goes unanswered.
If you want to park your car on the 6 block stretch, either in an open spot or wait for a car to pull out, you are essentially reducing Venice Blvd. to one lane and it’s a state highway (SR-187). Ridiculous!
Ridiculous that you’d be entitled enough to disregard how other folks get around.
Not only are our visionary leaders squeezing out commuters and negatively affecting small businesses along the corridor they are now going to drive down property values and up the crime rate with the attraction to camp out on the sidewalks using drugs to add to the mix. I find it remarkable that hardworking people and the tax payers are being victimized
When you have a heart attack and you are on your way to Southern California Hospital on Venice Beach try not to think of Mike Bonin lane reduction slowing your emergency vehicle down.
When you have a heart attack and you are on your way to Southern California Hospital try not to think of Mike Bonin’s lane reduction slowing your emergency vehicle down.
How about some Monster Truck ambulences to crush all the silly little cars?
What would Mister Rogers do?
At times I was quite ashamed of my neighbors and how they acted in the Mar Vista Community Council meetings. There was a total lack of Civility. Quite a shame, used to be a very functional Council.
Why doesn’t anyone bring up the fact that the businesses that closed were sub par. Louis was overpriced for their product. When more and better options opened up, Louis lost business to them. Soaptopia sold soap. Selling soap in the Amazon Prime generation is an uphill battle. Don’t blame Bonin for failed business models. Running a small business is hard and finding the right model is elusive. My heart goes out to those that tried and failed; but using those failures to push an agenda by a loud group of NIMBYs is just sad and shameful. You guys sound like a bunch of Russian trolls.
I’m not sure that the current bike lane setup is optimal, but it is certainly not the Armageddon these loud partisan folks make it out to be. I have mixed opinions on road diets in a city where traffic is on the rise. That said, I drive this route nearly daily and it only adds an extra minute or two to my commute. Like any other decision, there are pros and cons. Being a Mar Vista resident, I also see huge value in creating a bit of a town center feel (especially if we change out the barriers with planter boxes which would in my opinion boost business).
There may be better options out there for this “great street”; but simply hitting Control-Z to please a few loud mouths would be a step in the wrong direction IMO.