Traffic and Transportation Updates
SBRA is monitoring projects impacting traffic and transportation in South Brentwood
Barrington/Chenault Traffic Light Review
SBRA and other Brentwood groups worked with LADOT to adjust the timing of the new traffic signal at Barrington/Chenault. The new timing allocated more time to North-South Barrington traffic during each signal cycle in afternoon peak hours relative to East-west Chenault traffic. This has helped alleviate some of the back-up on Barrington that was caused by the new signal.
San Vicente/Darlington
Left Turn Lanes
SBRA and the Brentwood Community Council have been advocating for left turn lanes at this intersection since the traffic light was installed in 2011. CD11 has located funding and we are working with LADOT and CD11 to try to get this project moving more quickly.
SBRA Supports Subway Alternatives for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor
SBRA sent a letter of support to Metro’s Board of Directors supporting a subway through the Sepulveda Pass. This project will go from Van Nuys to the Sepulveda/Expo Station with a stop at UCLA. Metro has since eliminated one of the subway alternatives that was under consideration.
While a monorail is also being considered, Metro’s ridership estimates are significantly higher for the subway options and the transit times are much lower. The subway options we supported would go from Van Nuys Metrolink to UCLA in about 15 minutes, less than half of the time that a monorail would take and the projected ridership is almost double.
Two of the three monorail options under consideration would not have a stop on the UCLA campus so that riders would have to take a shuttle or walk after arriving in Westwood.
More information about the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project can be found at https://www.metro.net/projects/sepulvedacorridor/. SBRA is a member of the STC4All Coalition, which supports a Metro station on the UCLA campus. https://www.stc4all.org/our-coalition.html
Wilshire Purple Line Construction
(Line D)
For the latest information on Purple Line Construction and to sign up for updates, please visit this page. https://www.metro.net/projects/westside/
Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cienega are slated to open in 2024.
Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City/Constellation are slated to open in 2025.
Wilshire/Westwood and Wilshire/VA Hospital are slated to open in 2027.
SBRA is monitoring progress. We are concerned about how people will access the Westwood and VA stations given that no parking is planned for either station and Wilshire Blvd and all of the other East-West streets in our area are already gridlocked during evening peak hours.
STAP (Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program)
The Bureau of Street Services is in the process of replacing the existing bus shelters on Wilshire Blvd. with new ones that will include digital rotating ads to replace the static ads currently on the shelters. These are scheduled to be installed over a 4 to 6 year period that began in 2024.
SBRA reviewed the proposed locations in Brentwood (north side of Wilshire at San Vicente, Barrington, Brockton, Bundy, and Carmelina) and asked the STAP team to prioritize locations that are not adjacent to housing so that the lights don’t bother residents.
According to STAP, lighting on the shelters is designed to be no brighter than ambient lighting, similar to the lighting in place today. Lighting on the new shelters will be able to be dimmed remotely from a central station and is LED not fluorescent.
A newer version of STAP includes additional locations proposed for Sunset Blvd., which the Brentwood Community Council objected to because Sunset Blvd. in Brentwood is a designated scenic corridor.
The newer proposal also calls for “Urban Panel” advertising panels which would be freestanding along Wilshire and not on the bus shelters, which is not what SBRA reviewed and thought was ok.
The vendors installing the bus shelters are responsible for maintaining them and emptying the trash receptacles. If you see a maintenance issue, please email streetsla.stap@lacity.org or call 1- 866-633-0068 (stops with shelters) or 1-855-441-1300 (stops with bus benches only.)
More information on the STAP program can be found here. https://streetsla.lacity.org/stap-program-fact-sheet
San Vicente Walkability Project
SBRA and other Brentwood community groups, CD11, LADOT, and Streets LA have been working together since 2017 to try to make San Vicente more pedestrian-friendly. The first phase is in the design phase and will focus on San Vicente and Gorham. Improvements are funded by Measure M and will include ADA-compliant ramps on all corners and medians, installation of curb bump-outs to make crossing times shorter, and other pedestrian improvements. No changes to traffic, parking, or bike lanes are anticipated. Implementation is currently targeted for summer 2025.
As part of this project, Streets LA will be taking down many of the old news racks that have been in place for decades and are now rusty and dilapidated. We have been in touch with the team who is using some of these news racks as lending libraries to keep a few of the more popular locations.
If you would like to get involved in this project or others, please contact us at info@southbrentwood.org.
SBRA Supports Councilmember Park’s Resolution to Quantify HLA Impact
SBRA sent a letter of support for Traci Park’s resolution asking the City to quantify the impacts of projects in Measure HLA including its impact on maintaining other City Services.
Measure HLA (which passed) requires the City to install bike lanes and other street changes from the Mobility Plan 2035 whenever a street is repaved or other work is done.
Of particular concern is adding protected bike lanes to San Vicente instead of the current painted bike lanes. This would almost certainly require a “road diet” eliminating two lanes on San Vicente.
HLA is estimated to cost $250M/year over ten years. The City currently has a deficit of $500M. As a comparison, $250M is the annual budget of Inside Safe.
Mobility Plan 2035 was never intended to be implemented in full:
This Plan is not intended as a recipe book that must be followed to the letter but simply a preliminary roadmap to guide the City in making future multi-modal improvements.(page 134)
Mobility Plan 2035 requires community outreach before any project is implemented, but now that outreach is in question.
San Vicente Median Irrigation and Beautification
State Senator Ben Allen allocated money to improve the median and Streets LA is currently working with various city agencies and with the community-based Coral Tree group to determine proper irrigation and plants. The effort is balancing requirement not to harm the Coral Trees (a Cultural Heritage Monument) with city efforts to increase the number of drought-resistant and native plants.
Continental Crosswalks
If you think that the lights are not changing as quickly as they used to, you’re correct. LADOT adjusted the timing city-wide over the past several years to give pedestrians more time to cross.
However, LADOT also advises that if you are waiting at one of the new continental crosswalks with wide stripes since the sensor that triggers the changes at these types of intersections is further back than it was the old crosswalk configurations.
Congestion Pricing/"Traffic Reduction" Study
Metro is still considering congestion pricing – aka toll lanes --- for all lanes of the I-10 from Santa Monica and in Westside canyons as part of its “Traffic Reduction Study.” https://www.metro.net/projects/trafficreduction/
SBRA has taken a position against congestion pricing as adding tolls to the freeway would only force more cars onto Brentwood’s streets as drivers who have no alternatives avoid paying tolls.
We have requested that any consideration of tolls be delayed until after the Wilshire Subway and Sepulveda Transit Corridor projects are implemented and give people an alternative way to get to and from the Westside.
Metro recently sent an email stating that:
“We plan to conduct further analysis regarding the types of improvements that people would like to see funded in these areas, such as bus-only lanes, Metro station upgrades, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements.”
SBRA has confirmed with Metro that this email does not mean that congestion pricing is off the table. Instead, Metro is asking for suggestions so that they can be used to justify why Metro congestion pricing revenue is needed to fund them. SBRA continues to monitor this issue.
Additional parking for Farmers Market
SBRA explored whether parking guidelines could be relaxed on the north side of San Vicente during the Farmers Market to allow for legal parking, but learned that safety issues prevent this from happening. Farmers Market attendees who drive should continue parking along the golf course (San Vicente and Montana) and in the surrounding neighborhoods where available. Parking illegally in conflict with the posted street signs is subject to ticketing.
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