Metro hosts Wilshire bus lane meetings beginning tonight

A quartet of public meetings begin tonight to discuss the proposed Wilshire bus lane project. The idea is to dedicate the right-hand lane to buses on Wilshire in the city of L.A. during rush hours. Transit officials have said in the past this will speed up the bus ride on Wilshire; I wonder if it means buses sitting behind cars trying to make a right turn.

The Federal Transit Administration earlier this year indicated a willingness to help fund the project -- but the agency can't fund it if it's not properly planned. It might be fun to ask transit officials if the project is still a go if the subway extension that would be funded by Measure R is indeed a go.

Here's a link to a March report from the city of L.A. on the lanes and here's a link to a city report from October 2007.

Press release from Metro (also known as the MTA) with meeting time and locations after the jump.

-- Steve Hymon

Four Community Meetings Scheduled to Review Plans for Wilshire Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project

Four community meetings will be held between Nov. 12 and 19 along the Wilshire Corridor of Los Angeles to discuss the feasibility of a proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on Wilshire Boulevard and solicit public comment.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and the City and County of Los Angeles are assessing the potential of dedicated curbside bus lanes during the morning and evening rush hours (7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) on Wilshire Boulevard. The project area includes portions of Wilshire Boulevard from just west of the 110 Freeway from downtown Los Angeles to the Santa Monica City line, excluding the City of Beverly Hills.

A joint document, consisting of an Initial Study/Environmental Assessment (IS/EA), is being conducted for the Wilshire BRT project to meet state and federal environmental requirements. The meetings are being conducted as part of this process. The study should be completed by next summer.

Wilshire Boulevard is the busiest transit corridor in Los Angeles County with 93,000 weekday transit boardings. The Wilshire BRT project could improve passenger travel times on buses by an average of 24%. Faster service could boost transit ridership in the corridor by up to 20% and ease traffic congestion.

The cost of reconstructing curb lanes, re-striping and other work related to the Wilshire BRT project is estimated at $31.5 million. Metro is seeking $23 million in federal funds for the project with the balance covered by local transit dollars.

Pending approval of the federal grant application and completion and approval of the environmental study, the Wilshire BRT project could be in place by December 2011.
Plans for the Wilshire Boulevard BRT will be discussed at the following meetings:

    * Wednesday, Nov. 12, 6-8 p.m., Wilshire United Methodist Church, 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
    * Monday, Nov. 17, 6-8 p.m., Westwood Presbyterian Church, 10822 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024
    * Tuesday, Nov. 18, 6-8 p.m., Southwestern Law School, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., 5th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010
    * Wednesday, Nov. 19, 6–8 p.m., Felicia Mahood Center, 11338 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025

Identical information will be presented at each of the sessions. Public comments and questions are welcome.

Comments

[hp]

Open up these lanes to powered and non-powered 2 wheelers (as in London, et al.) as well, and now we've got a creative plan!

[Dan W.]

One change we need in transportation planning in Los Angeles is to shift from valuing vehicles being moved to people being moved.

Right now, a car carrying one person is counted the same as a bus carrying 50 people.

I am sure that some single-occupancy motorists will scream about losing a lane of traffic to buses during rush hour. However, if it can be demonstrated that more actual people will be moved quicker with the bus only lanes, it helps to argue their case.

[Dan W.]

We need a large network of bus-only lanes, not as a substitute for rail, but as a necessary component of an overall transit system.

I'd start with Wilshire, but also include Santa Monica Blvd-Sunset, Pico, Ventura, Hollywood, Vermont, Western, Van Nuys, Crenshaw to start. Downtown probably also needs bus-only lanes, at least 1 each headed north, south, east and west.