Pico/Olympic: Battle lines drawn

We'll have to see how residents react to details of the proposal to convert Olympic and Pico boulevards into one-way streets. But The Times Jean Guccione reports, "As the plan moves forward, officials will have to balance the potential inconveniences from rerouting two of L.A.'s busiest streets (see photo) with the potential for traffic relief."

Critics: Merchants on the boulevards worry that the reconfiguration will confuse and drive away customers. Some residents worry about cut-through traffic on their streets as commuters change directions between Olympic and Pico. There is also the (at times lengthy) distance between the two boulevards. And has Beverly Hills (which has a bit of the route) spoken up?

Backers: There is evidence that one-way streets speed up traffic (mainly by allowing better signal synchronization). Westside traffic is so bad that some residents argue that any improvements -- even ones that re-route major boulevards -- is welcomed. And it's cheap (estimates say a few million dollars) without taking money away from rail projects.

Comments

[calwatch]

Yeah, but it would be better to force people back into their cars where they have to walk 0 miles.

The more I think about it I like the unbalancing of lanes idea better. It gives folks a negative incentive to travel against traffic since they will hit all the lights and we don't even bother synchronizing in the wrong direction, while preserving local access. Reduce the 'wrong direction" (EB Pico/WB Olympic) to 2 lanes in each direction (1 + off peak parking lane) permanently and ban left turns off the lane at major intersections.

[bg mendell]

But calwatch; some people once would walk a mile for a Camel;
why not a bus? Walking a mile would be good for population that
on average is 53 pounds overweight.

[calwatch]

It screws over bus service because Pico and Olympic buses are oiperated by two different companies (one MTA, the other Santa Monica). They also don't duplicate each other all the way. Bus riders would have to walk half a mile to a mile more to catch a bus. Not good.

[Joseph Hancock]

Venice should be westbound and Washington should be eastbound. These streets are wider and have less residential development. This combined with a reversible lane strategy on Olympic should solve the eastbound and westbound commuter gridlock. But I have to say, that the ultimate solution is to get people out of their cars. Too many cars are on the road. We need to make mass transit affordable and accessable. Light rail and park and ride stations will be the ultimate solution. Changing Pico Boulevard to a one way street will simply create traffic congestion somewhere else. People in West Los Angeles will be congested in Mid Town. They won't get home or to work any faster until they stop driving their car. Also, there are jobs that require driving. There needs to be a system of light rail in place all around Los Angeles and Southern California.

[William Francke]

Out of curiosity, why do you have two "Bottleneck Blogs" on pretty much the same issue?

[William Francke]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it also screws over bus service". It would make bus trips faster also, which in turn would make them a better alternative to driving.

And narrowing the blvds? That makes less room, which means more congestion, which means more stress and accidents.

[Benjamin Brown]

I love the traffic of L.A.. When I was last there in May of 2005 it was bliss to sit in traffic and listen to music. Unfortunately secret subterranean nuclear scientists, in blatent disregard of treaties involving non-refoulment, forced me back to the Rogue Valley gulag for more brain flashes and neck zaps. For those of you cry babies whining about traffic try abject poverty, brain-mapping, psych-cloning and watching your family and friends being subliminally keyed and synchronized into oblivion by a sub-humaniod species of science freaks. You don't know how good you got it. For me, all there is is torture and perhaps rechavinism micro-managed by the very pin-heads who put me here .

[calwatch]

Incidentally, it also screws over bus service.

I would like to see a simpler solution: narrow Pico to two lanes in each direction eastbound (one + parking lane) and Olympic two directions westbound, and time the lights appropriately. People will get the hint that they are traveling against traffic, but access to businesses is maintained.

[William Francke]

I heard this idea on the radio today and I thought "Why haven't they done this yet?" A GREAT idea. It will take some getting used to and there will be some initial inconvenience but after a while it will make getting around town just a little bit easier. And who can argue with that?

Plus, there will be enough room for a (full) bike lane on each boulevard.

[bg mendell]

One Way streets on the westside a great idea; but, I will tinker with it some:
1) Jefferson Blvd. (eastbound)
2) Washington Blvd. (eastbound)
3) Venice Blvd. (eastbound)
4) National Blvd. (eastbound)
5) Pico Blvd. (eastbound)
6) Olympic Blvd. (eastbound)
7) Santa Monica Blvd. (eastbound)
8) Wilshire Blvd. (eastbound)
9) Sunset Blvd. (eastbound)
First day will be a mess; second day will be a piece of cake.