NoHo-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Project Faces Misleading Eagle Rock NIMBYs

Metro is planning a new Bus Rapid Transit line from North Hollywood to Pasadena. The project is currently in early design stages, with a series of community input hearings underway this week. Already xenophobic privileged NIMBYs are attacking the project, spreading lies, and belittling transit supporters. The L.A. City neighborhood of Eagle Rock is ground zero for the vitriolic anti-bus campaign.

Metro's North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor project has $267 million in funding, all from Measure M, which specifies a 2020 groundbreaking and a 2022-2024 opening. The BRT line is planned to extend along streets in the cities of Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, and Los Angeles.

Metro has not yet determined what features will be included in the project. Per Metro's 2013 BRT analysis, some features being considered include:

• peak period bus-only lanes for 2-9 miles
• transit signal priority
• selective street repaving and re-striping
• signage
• enhanced stations and streetscape improvements
• all‐door boarding
• freeway shoulder-running bus lanes and/or queue jump lanes on freeway on-/off-ramps

Metro is currently in the middle of a 45-day Environmental Impact Report (EIR) scoping period, during which the agency is actively seeking public comments - due by July 31. Metro is hosting five public input meetings (upcoming schedule at bottom of post). Earlier this week, Metro held input meetings in North Hollywood and Pasadena.

On Tuesday in North Hollywood, public comment was predominantly in favor of BRT. Supporters spoke of high-quality transit, dedicated lanes, opportunities for housing, and climate goals. A minority of naysayers expressed concerns that BRT would bring "the wrong people" and "litter" to Valley communities, including to the "sweet little village" of Toluca Lake.

Metro's second input meeting took place last night in Pasadena. The meeting was covered on Twitter and at CBS. Public comment was again a majority in favor of BRT. Proponents stressed transit would improve commutes, while opponents asserted that it would "disrupt the character" of neighborhoods, especially in Eagle Rock.

Eagle Rock has become ground zero for a disruptive NIMBY backlash against the planned BRT.

Some of the backlash was in evidence last month, when BRT opponents shouted down Metro staff attempting to present BRT information at an Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council committee meeting.

A handful of anonymous "local residents and business owners" recently launched an Eagle Rock 411 website/campaign, claiming that the BRT project is "throwing Colorado Boulevard under the bus" and will "devastate... local businesses and severely increase traffic in [sic] residential side streets" as well as trigger upzoning, putting "high-density housing... six stories tall along Colorado Boulevard on the fast track." These BRT opponents assert that the project will remove "street parking, car lanes, grassy medians," though Metro is still studying the project and has not yet determined whether any of these possibilities will be included in the final design.

Eagle Rock 411 spouts Orwellian language while claiming to promote a "#betterBRT." Instead of opposing BRT that serves central Eagle Rock, they rally to "Support Mass Public Transit on the 134 Freeway." (Metro studied and ruled out that alignment, citing lower ridership and poor reliability on the congested freeway.)

ER411 also urges, "Keep our town moving," echoing Westside traffic safety foes Keep L.A. Moving and its many copycat spawn (of which ER411 may be one). Keep L.A. Moving's John Russo commented on ER411's petition and ER411's website resembles other Keep Moving cookie-cutter websites.

The ER411 website implies that that Colorado Boulevard BRT will not serve low-income/disadvantaged communities.

The website erroneously suggests that the income of transit riders would be reflected in home prices for the areas the transit goes through. This is wrong anywhere, but it is especially misleading in a community in which nearly half are renters (49.4 percent of households in the main Eagle Rock zip code 90041 are renters). And in cases like the number 2 bus line that carries students and service workers along Sunset Boulevard through Beverly Hills, bus service can be vital to the functioning of a community, even if its riders are non-residents. The average Metro bus rider makes less than $20,000 annually.

Realtor and Eagle Rock 411 spokesperson Cherryl Weaver showed her xenophobia by asserting, in a Facebook post, that BRT is an option for "3rd world countries."

Another Eagle Rock businessperson opposing Colorado Boulevard BRT is Michael Nogueira, president of the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce. According to a post by the Boulevard Sentinel (a news publication that has shown bias against BRT), Nogueira was responsible for hanging an anti-BRT "Let's Keep Our Town Moving" banner across Colorado Boulevard earlier this week.

The banner was removed the same day, reportedly at the direction of staff of L.A. City Councilmember José Huizar. Streetsblog contacted Huizar's office for confirmation of the event and clarification of city policy on allowing private groups to post political messages in the public right-of-way. Staff responded with a brief broad statement that Huizar "looks forward to hearing [community input on the BRT project] before taking an official position."

One primary focus of Eagle Rock 411 is pressure on L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who is also a Metro boardmember. At last month's Metro board meeting, during an item unrelated to BRT, Solis stated that she has been hearing BRT concerns from her constituents in Eagle Rock. She requested Metro staff schedule two additional outreach meetings for the project. Streetsblog contacted Solis' office for a statement on the project, but did not receive one at press time. Though Solis has been supportive of the mobility needs of low-income bus riders, it appears that BRT opponents are pressing her not to support this project.

Given the one-sided media coverage at CBS and the Boulevard Sentinel, it may appear that the entire Eagle Rock community is opposing BRT.

This is not the case.

BRT supporters have been organizing under the banner of "BRT for Equity."

Get involved in those efforts by emailing 'equitableBRT(at)gmail.com' and following @hippierunner and @walkeaglerock on Twitter. BRT for Equity created a pro-BRT petition in favor of "a More Sustainable Colorado Boulevard for Eagle Rock." In addition to the petition, BRT supporters can see this earlier SBLA post for ways to weigh in.

Metro is hosting three more meetings on the NoHo-Pasadena BRT project (and most likely will hold additional meetings in response to Solis' request). Upcoming meetings are scheduled for:

• Eagle Rock: Saturday 7/13, 1-3 p.m. at Eagle Rock Plaza, 2700 Colorado Boulevard, Suite 236
• Burbank: Monday 7/15, 6-8 p.m. at Buena Vista Branch Library, 300 N. Buena Vista Street
• Glendale: Wednesday 7/17, 5:30–7:30 p.m. at Glendale Downtown Central Library, 222 E. Harvard Street

Sparks are likely to fly at this Saturday's meeting in Eagle Rock. Plan to arrive early.