Brentwood Community Council

March 6, 2007 Transportation Forum Highlights

Apr 15, 2007

In a departure from its regular meeting format, the Brentwood Community Council (BCC) held a special Transportation Forum at University Synagogue on March 6, 2007. Rabbi Morley Feinstein welcomed the community to the Synagogue. Guest speakers included State Assemblyman Mike Feuer, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, and Councilman Bill Rosendahl. BCC Chairwoman Wendy-Sue Rosen served as Moderator.

Supervisor Yaroslavsky spoke about the ?“sky high?” demand for automobile street capacity from the 405 freeway to the ocean with no way of increasing that capacity. Heavy traffic has resulted from ballooning job ?“magnets?” in the area -- commercial space and to a degree, retail space, combined with commuters traveling at approximately the same hours of the day. He said that between Santa Monica, Culver City, and Playa Vista, we have created a tremendous magnet for traffic, especially since commuters cannot afford to live here. The commute pattern of the past ?– downtown in the morning and back in the evening ?– has reversed with westbound traffic in the morning and eastbound traffic in the evening.

The Supervisor affirmed that Angelenos will take public transit if it is better than sitting in their cars in traffic. He said that the Expo Line, which will parallel the freeway, running from downtown to Santa Monica, is important, and the sooner it is built, the better. Compared with the Orange Line, which was an overwhelming success carrying 21,000 people per day, the Exposition Line will carry 75,000 commuters per day. No bus could handle that many commuters, he said.

According to Supervisor Yaroslavsky, engineers are studying the possibility of converting Pico and Olympic into one-way streets. He said that one-way streets move better than two-way streets, as proven by the 4.5% to 5% reduction in traffic when the Olympics were held in Los Angeles. The city of Beverly Hills has turned almost all commercial two-way streets into one-way streets with good results.

Subways are expensive, he contended, with the cost of building a subway at $300 million per mile in the year 2000. Approximately $1 billion has been set aside in Proposition 1B for public mass transit in Los Angeles County, and a significant portion of it could be used to extend the subway westward. The Supervisor, the Mayor, and the MTA will also seek federal funds, to be matched by the Proposition 1B funds, to expand the pot of available money for this important project.

Limiting left turns on some streets between the 405 freeway and the ocean is another way to move traffic, according to the Supervisor. He also spoke about ?“leading left-turn arrows?” and said that having left-turn arrows activate after the traffic light has turned green will prevent gridlock and save time. Supervisor Yaroslavsky held that there is no one solution and commuting will never be the way it was in the past because too many cars are on the road. He feels that the ?“little tweaks?” can make a difference and that we must have the courage to do something different to improve our quality of life.

Regarding the 405 Freeway High Occupancy Lane (HOV) project, the Supervisor said that he is in favor of continuing the improvements if the project can be done without taking homes, even if that results in a higher cost. He has never had to condemn a home for a public improvement project in his entire career, and would like to keep his record intact. He went on to say that he cannot promise that no homes will be taken. HOV lanes need to work in both directions, he said, adding that statistics show that HOV lanes do work.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl prefaced his remarks with the comment that he ran for office because of his frustration with traffic. He said that one of the first things that he did after taking office was to establish an Empowerment Congress as an inclusive way of helping find solutions to problem, and he strongly encouraged participation in his Empowerment Congress. The Councilman distributed copies of his Traffic Plan consisting of both short-term and long-term solutions. Recommended short-term solutions include 32 left turn improvements throughout the district, improved signal timing and synchronization, and a ban on construction during rush hour. Long-term solutions include the Exposition Light Rail to the Sea and extension of the Green Line into Los Angeles International Airport. The Councilman thanked Supervisor Yaroslavsky for supporting the Exposition Line. Ground has broken on the first phase, which will provide light rail from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City at a cost of $640 million. The Councilman said he is working to make Phase Two from Culver City to the beach ?“seamless.?” He agreed with others that homes should not be taken in connection with the completion of the 405 freeway improvements. He stressed the need for funds from Washington for Los Angeles?’s public transportation projects. With 46% of the cargo of goods into the U.S. passing through our ports, Los Angeles is the ?“economic breadbasket for the country,?” and deserving of its ?“fair share?” for transportation.

The Councilman touched on a variety of issues. In speaking of the Wilshire Bus Lane, he held that it can only be effective if the lane runs from downtown to the ocean. He said that developers should pay for traffic studies, but the City should hire the traffic consultant to conduct the study. When a question was posed regarding widening Sunset Boulevard for a walkway and bike path, Rosendahl responded that Sunset would be widened ?– it was just a question of when and where.

The Councilman also spoke about the importance of affordable housing, conserving rental housing, and ?“People Over Profits.?” He is interested in housing in light industrial areas.

State Assemblyman Mike Feuer, Chairman of the Assembly Budget Sub-Committee on Transportation, said in his opening remarks, ?“There is no more important issue here than transportation.?” The Assemblyman spoke about the need to fund the northbound 405 freeway HOV lane and to take every step possible to prevent the loss of homes. Synchronizing lights in Los Angeles will also help traffic flow, but it requires funds and competition is great within the state for the $20 billion in bond funds for transportation. $4.5 billion has been allocated to alleviate congestion on freeways statewide. Southern California, from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border will receive 60%, with 40% going to Northern California.

The Assemblyman said that he sees expanding the freeway as a temporary fix; the added capacity will eventually be filled. He submitted that transportation is not just about traffic, it is also about land use. ?“We need to think in a different way,?” he said. ?“We need to think about districts where people live and work.?” The Assemblyman spoke of providing incentives to encourage the use of public transit. He said that the average number of daily automobile trips per day is ten and encouraged eliminating 10% of that number by using public transit or riding bicycles. He recommended a European approach using Paris and London as examples of cities where mixed use projects are successfully integrated into urban design.

Responding to a question about how to alleviate traffic on Sunset Boulevard, Assemblyman Feuer suggested synchronizing traffic lights, providing tax credits to employers to encourage employees to refrain from taking their cars to work, and fighting to get funds allocated to Los Angeles. A member of the audience suggested reversible lanes on Sunset Boulevard.

The Assemblyman wants ideas on how to reduce one automobile trip per day. His e-mail address is: mike.feuer@asm.ca.gov.

Assemblyman Feuer announced that each state legislator has the opportunity to select a Woman of the Year, and he had selected BCC Chairwoman Wendy-Sue Rosen for the honor.

NEXT BCC MEETING ON APRIL 10, 2007 ?– The next BCC meeting will not be held on the first Tuesday of the month due to Passover and Easter break. The BCC will meet on Tuesday, April 10, 2007 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The BCC agenda is posted at the Brentwood Kaufman Library one week prior to the meeting date. To receive the BCC?’s monthly agenda by e-mail, contact Chairwoman Wendy-Sue Rosen at RosenFree@aol.com or visit the BCC website: http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/la/brentwoodcc.

(Bette Harris serves as Recording Secretary and Public Safety Representative on the Brentwood Community Council.)