Is the Future for Pico & Olympic Boulevards One-Way?

In a move to bust traffic, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky wants to convert Olympic and Pico into one-way streets.  Rush hour traffic on Olympic would flow toward downtown Los Angeles; on Pico, it would flow towards Santa Monica. According to a study by Allyn Rifkin, 6% to 20% more cars could travel on the one-way streets depending on design. The greatest additional car capacity would be gained by eliminating left-turn lanes.  Metro and Big Blue Buses would utilize new contra-flow lanes.  Read the proposal here.

We agree that traffic congestion is a serious issue and that we need to go beyond business as usual to find solutions.  Unfortunately, like too many transportation improvements in Los Angeles in recent times, this proposal appears to be piece-meal planning that focuses on getting cars from one place to another, rather than improving mobility for people.  What will be the impact of a twenty percent increase in car traffic in the neighborhoods Pico and Olympic cross?  Will the cars speed? Will rush-hour parking restrictions impact local businesses?  Will air pollution, noise pollution, and cut-through traffic affect local residents? Will more cars drive away pedestrians and bicyclists?  What direction does this take us in the light of broader issues, including global warming, declining fossil fuels, and quality of life for all Angelinos?

Not all of these questions have been answered but we believe that this proposal is contrary to the City’s General Plan Framework—our officially adopted vision for the future of Los Angeles. The General Plan Framework calls for the reduction of car use and an increase in real choices for getting around L.A.  The one-way proposal provides benefits for cars and buses, but where are the benefits for people walking or those who bike around town? How does this proposal get us closer to our vision of a city where walking, biking, and taking the bus are real options for getting around, no matter where we want to go?   

The April 16th 2007 Los Angeles Times on-line poll on the issue makes it clear that the variety of transportation options for increasing mobility are not yet part of the public debate.  The LA Times offers its readers two exclamatory options regarding the proposed one-way Olympic and Pico Boulevards:

1 -Yes! It would reduce gridlock

2- No! It would cause confusion and delays

How about “No! It’s missing bike lanes” or “Yes! It would increase bus service”?  We’re grateful to Supervisor Yaroslavsky for initiating this dialogue, but we’d like to see a few more options on the table and we’d like to take steps toward our vision, not from it.

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