Turning This...

Its no secret that outside of Griffith Park, Los Angeles is a city starving for open space.  There is nowhere this is more true than Hollywood, where even a weekly farmer’s market is under attack because it blocks access to a parking lot.  Thus, while Hollywood waits for projects such as the Hollywood Freeway Central Park, it’s important to try and create pockets of places where people can be outside in a safe and welcoming environment.

To that end, yesterday the embattled Community Redevelopment Agency, City Council President Eric Garcetti and Hollywood-area business leaders gathered to break ground on the “Cahuenga Alley” project which will turn the currently hideous alley into a clean, protected, pedestrian walkway.  The first-of-its-kind project is a sort of public-private partnership where the city will create the pedestrian plaza and local businesses will will install landscaping and decorative lighting, set up outdoor dining and patio space.  Maintenance and security will be maintained by the businesses.

...Into this. Image one: Office of Eric Garcetti. Image two: CRA

“Today we begin the Cahuenga alley’s transformation into a thriving pedestrian environment where locals and tourists alike can come to relax and enjoy our beautiful weather.  It’s going to be great for business and great for Hollywood,” said Council President Garcetti through a press release.

This project is reminiscent of outdoor mall projects such as The Grove or The Promenade in Santa Monica, but the here the alley itself will remain a publicly owned street.  Businesses will create the atmosphere, but the street will be open for public use and as a thoroughfare regardless of people’s dinner plans.

The lack of public access to the alley was a given reason for the project in the first place.  Back in 2008 when the project was first proposed, Curbed reported that the City Council motion authorizing the project said, “Over the years, adjacent businesses have used the public alley for private purposes and the public has been denied access to the alley. This alley should not become private space. Instead, this alley should be returned to public purposes and businesses should be required to apply for a Revocable Permit for use of this public space.”

Less than three years later, the property owners couldn’t be happier about opening up the space.

“The Hollywood Property Owners Alliance is proud to be part of this unprecedented partnership that is creating a new walkable, public space that will help attract more visitors to our local businesses.  This project demonstrates the innovation and creative solutions that can result when Hollywood’s business community works together with city agencies,” said HPOA Executive Director Kerry Morrison.

The city will invest $790,000 in the project through the CRA.  It is expected to open “sometime this fall.”

The Hollywood Farmer's Market last February. Photo:Alex de Cordoba/Flickr

The uncertain future of the Hollywood Farmers Market has inspired much energy and advocacy that food and street advocates in Los Angeles can be proud of. Market operator See-LA rallied allies and supporters. Farmers’ market patrons flooded City Councilperson Eric Garcetti with messages of support for the market. Garcetti in turn helped extend the permit and is trying to negotiate a solution that preserves most of the markets’ existing footprint and access. But the controversy also raises a question that in turn suggests a way to save the market and others like it.

Who owns the streets?

Or, in this situation, why in the @#*^ can a single adjacent business veto the continuation of a farmers market that is one of the cornerstones of social life, healthy food access, and community supported agriculture in Los Angeles?

To be even more specific, why is the Board of Public Works giving residents and business owners adjacent to proposed farmers markets, street fairs and other special events a quasi-property right in the streets that lets them veto temporary closures of public streets?

I’m speaking of the requirement, in section VI.D. of  the City’s Street Closure Provisions and Application Procedures. http://bsspermits.lacity.org/spevents/common/street_closure_codes.htm#6

A petition must be submitted indicating that occupants of at least 51 percent of the residences or businesses within the closure area have no objections to and support the closure. Petitions must be signed by the owner, manager, assistant manager, or lessee of the residences or businesses impacted by the closure.

It’s not because buying property adjacent to a public street gives you a legal right to use that street 100 percent of the time.

It’s not because such petitions are the only way to ensure that the interests of local residents are considered when the City receives an application for a special street-closing event. Section II of the Street Closure Provisions requires the Bureau of Street Services to consider the

A. Impact of the proposed closure on residents, occupants or business persons of the block.

B. Impact of the proposed closure on the accessibility of emergency vehicles into the closure areas.  

C. Impact of the proposed closure on vehicular traffic such as circulation, traffic movement and availability of alternate routes for traffic.        

D. Potential interference with commercial and business activities in the immediate vicinity.

E. Conditions existing within the surrounding area that, when occurring in conjunction with a street closure, might create a hardship or an unnecessary inconvenience to the general public or persons residing in the area.” So local interests are well represented in the decision making criteria.

City Council President (and Hollywood's Council Man) and former Councilman Michael Woo hangout at the Market. Photo:Green L.A. Girl

It’s not because all municipalities give property owners veto over proposed special events and street closures. In San Francisco, for example, all interested parties can come comment at a public hearing but no petitions are required. http://www.sfmta.com/cms/vclos/strclos.htm (Looking this up, I noticed that organizers of events in San Francisco with an expected attendance of 2000 + are also required to provide monitored bike parking. That sounds like a good idea for Los Angeles to implement).

It’s also not because the elected representatives of the City of Los Angeles have mandated that a majority of adjacent property owners be able to block street events. The City’s municipal code requires that

the result of petitions, required or otherwise {emphasis mine}, circulated in residential or commercial areas impacted by the event” “shall be included among all the relevant criteria used in reviewing applications for Special Event Permits.”

Los Angeles Municipal Code. Chapter IV Public Welfare. Section 41.20 d.2.K. So the City could give applicant the option to submit petitions, or require some petitions but nor disqualify applicants who fail to reach a magical 51 percent threshold.

I assume that the requirement is in place to avoid controversial events and to out-source responsibility for public outreach and discussion of proposed street closures from the agency to event organizers. It is usually a good thing for street event sponsors to go door to door talking to neighbors as a way to gain buy-in and spread the word about public events. But the threat to block the Hollywood Farmers’ Market from receiving a new permit shows that the mandatory nature of petition process can give neighbors excessive leverage when there are a small number of property owners fronting a street.

Hopefully negotiations will allow the Hollywood Farmers Market to continue in its current location.

Whatever the outcome, I’d encourage the Board of Public Works and/ or The City Council to change the 51 percent requirement to avoid any other important street events from being blocked by self-interested property owners. Here are some potential solutions.

1. Eliminate mandatory petitions. Make petitions from residents/ businesses in the closure area voluntary rather than mandatory. Applicants will still be encouraged to get as many petitions as possible to demonstrate local support, but this would not be a precondition to receive a permit.
2. Eliminate veto by a small number of neighbors. Eliminate mandatory required petitions from 51% or more of adjacent residents/ businesses requirement when there are ten or fewer adjacent residents/ owners in the closure area.
3. Waive petition requirement for farmers markets. Eliminate the requirement to submit mandatory petitions from 51% or more of residents/ businesses in the closure area for all applications for permits for certified farmers markets.
4. Expand petitions beyond the closure area to underline that the public at large ‘own the streets.’ Require petitions from 51% or more of adjacent residents/ businesses OR from at least 51 individual residents/ property owners/ organizations from anywhere who support the event/ plan to attend the event. Andres Duany’s suggestion that “You can’t confuse neighbors with the community as a whole” and that public participation for new projects should focus on a random sample of the community rather than on local residents, seems persuasive to me in the case of street events.

I’d also eliminate section II.F from the Street Closure Provisions and Application Procedures. It requires  “Verification that the applicant or sponsor owns, leases or rents property on the proposed block to be closed or can obtain and submit a letter of co-sponsorship from an individual who meets those criteria.” While a easier threshold than the petitions, in a street with one property owner  this too becomes a veto over proposed events.

Every year in the neighborhood I grew up in, a nearby residential street was blocked off for an annual street fair to commemorate the year their street had accidentally been left off the city map. There’s nothing wrong with a community taking pride in their streets or with a local voice in how streets are used. But this healthy localism shouldn’t be debased into a property right to vital public space. Eliminating property owners’ veto over street closings/ events would help ensure that public streets are used for the benefit of the broader public.

If Downtowners want to see a Regional Connector Station at 5th and Flower, they're going to have to find the money themselves. Photo:Clovis Bouhier/PBase

Here’s a quick rundown of the major votes by today’s Metro Board. Each of these five motions were discussed at Streetsblog over the last couple of weeks, and links to those stories can be found at the end of each summary.  Streetsblog will have links to all news reports on today’s meeting tomorrow.

Westside Subway Locally Preferred Alternative/Environmental Studies
As expected, the Metro Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve the Westside Subway “Locally Preferred Alternative” as the 9 1/2-mile route to the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Brentwood from the current end of the Purple Line at Wilshire/Western in Koreatown.  Despite over an hour of public comment from the Beverly Hills’ NUMBY’s, there was no decision made on whether the subway should have a stop on Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City or Constellation Avenue.

Yaroslavsky’s motion, which seemed to place the concerns of Beverly Hills regarding the Constellation Avenue/Santa Monica Boulevard debate ahead of those of other communities, was amended by the author to urge the staff to provide a detailed account of the impacts of both alternatives through the Westside.  This would have happened regardless under the Final Environmental Impact Statement that the Board approved funding for today.  For background on this motion, read yesterday’s Streetsblog story or an update on today’s vote from LA_Now.

Regional Connector Locally Preferred Alternative/Environmental Studies
The Metro Board also approved the “Locally Preferred Alternative” and funding for the environmental studies needed for the Regional Connector.  The debate was dominated by Little Tokyo business groups concerned that “cut and cover” subway construction would disrupt the community and cost them business. Downtown interests and LA City Councilwoman Jan Perry also expressed concerns about the exclusion of the 5th and Flower stop from the LPA.  The Board narrowly voted to exclude the 5th and Flower for now, but left the door open to include it in the environmental studies, if local businesses raise the roughly $2 million needed for that part of the study.  For more background, read this story at Streetsblog or an update on today’s vote from Blog Downtown.

“BikeWood” Hub at Hollywood and Vine
The motion allowing the creation of a street level, highly visible Bike Hub a the Hollywood and Vine Transit Oriented Development passed without much discussion.  Streetsblog provided the background for this motion on Monday.

Ridley-Thomas Grade-Crossing Motion

Good use of everyone's time, Supervisors. Photo: Los Angeles County

The Metro Board quickly passed County Superviser Mark Ridley-Thomas’ controversial grade crossing motion that appeared to introduce a more “subjective” tone into the analysis of whether light rail should run at-grade or grade-separated at major street crossings.  Board Member O’Conner asked that the motion be tabled for a month so Board Members could have more time to analyze the motion.  But, after Metro staff argued that the motion was just a re-emphasis on community concerns from the current grade-crossing policy and that it would have no impact on how these decisions are actually reached, the Board voted to accept Ridley-Thomas’ motion.

During a public discussion segment, Southern California Transit Advocates’ policy director, Kymberleigh Richards, warned that the changes would lead to “days of public comment” over controversial crossings when communities felt their concerns weren’t being addressed.  We’ll have to wait and see if that prediction holds true once debate on specifics of the Crenshaw Line reach the Board in 2011.  For background on this motion, click here.

710 Tunnel Cost Estimate
Ha!  Najarian was listening to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, siting his “wisdom” as a reason to get a new cost estimate.  The official estimate was based on figures from 2006.  While Najarian was able to read his motion into the record, the motion won’t have a full hearing until the next Board Meeting.  For background on this motion, click here.

When Legacy Partners’ Metro-Certified “Transit-Oriented Development” opened on Hollywood and Vine earlier this year, advocates weren’t able to contain their disappointment with several aspects of the project.  Among the complaints was that the development was too focused on providing space for cars and not access for cyclists and pedestrians.  However, that disappointment has led to opportunity.  As the months passed, activists were frustrated as developers, elected officials and even staff at the Metro Bicycle Roundtable Meetings were explaining why the Bike Room wouldn’t happen, not how to make it happen.

But things change and now The Hollywood Bike Hub appears to be on its way, and Metro is poised to make better bike facilities a part of its Transit Oriented Development standards.  Activists and Metro Board Members are lauding each other for making the Hollywood Bike Hub happen and Metro staff is talking about what they can do to make the Hollywood Bike Hub a major part of the Hollywood Community.

Not willing to take “no” for an answer, a coalition of bicycle, transit and community activists kept working and lobbying on behalf of a true Bike Hub at Hollywood and Vine.  Now their work has paid off, and a proposal to create such a space is on its way to the Metro Board of Directors.  At a meeting of the Metro Planning and Programming Sub Committee, Board Member Richard Katz added language to the proposal that would require the Metro staff to create formal T.O.D. standards which could have gigantic ramifications around the county as Transit Oriented Development is viewed as the key for Los Angeles real estate to rebound and for the county to grow.

The Hollywood Bike Hub proposed for Hollywood and Vine would offer secure parking, maintenance facilities similar to what exists at the co-ops, showers for commuters, information for tourists and new Metro users and perhaps even a bike-share and rental program.  Perhaps best of all,  Legacy Partners has given space to the HUB for a street-level, high visibility storefront property.  There won’t be a rental fee for Metro to maintain and staff the facilities.Over the phone, Metro Bike Coordinator Lynne Goldsmith noted that Metro could spend up to $100,000 to turn the 1,000 square foot empty space on Vine into a suitable Bike Hub.  The above rendering by Jeremy Grant is not the final design for Hollywood and Vine, but was used and is being used to give vision to Metro Board in advance of this Thursday’s vote.  It is incumbent on Metro staff to take Grant’s vision and create something close to it for the residents of Hollywood and commuters who wish to use the facility.

Four months ago, when the ribbon was cut at Hollywood and Vine, this development seemed more than unlikely and it’s a credit to Grant, Enci and Stephen Box who were relentless in advocating for this promised bike facility for their community over the last nine months, Bart Reed for working behind the scenes and Metro and city staff for receiving the vision.  In his victory lap at Soap Box, Stephen Box points to Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Jaime De La Vega and Metro Board Director Katz for making this happen.

Box also explains the value such a Hub presents to the greater Hollywood Community.

The Hollywood Bike HUB is a bike shop for locals where cyclists can work on their bikes as well as store them in a secured environment. The Bike HUB would also offer a Bike Share for residents and a Bike Rental for tourists. In addition, the Bike HUB would serve as a Visitor’s Center for tourists who simply need info on the neighborhood. The Hollywood Bike HUB is good for cyclists, good for residents, good for tourists, good for business and great for transit, offering Metro passengers a “last mile” option.

While the addition of the Hub is a good development, the direction that Metro create standards for its Transit Oriented Development program is a great one.  Too often we’ve seen developers benefit with lavish developments that offer little to the community.  If Metro develops strong standards for community design for future projects developed on Metro land, it could be a sea change in the way that Los Angeles grows.

At the Huffington Post, Joel Epstein, who has done a heck of a job pushing 30/10, wrote a piece pondering the absolute lack of Hollywood star power in promoting transit as opposed to promoting things like electric-powered cars. Of course, that Hollywood movies present heroes driving muscle cars, saving the universe with cars that turn into robots, and motorcycles as the key to freedom doesn't help.  And when a comet is about to crash into the earth, who is going to save us?  Oil drillers.  Jeesh.

Now if I'm going to assign weekend homework, I would prefer to tell you to find a Hollywood Star who wants to lend their name (and wallet) to promoting transportation options; but I thought I would go easy on you since L.A. Streetsblog is in transition mode itself.  But if you are a Hollywood Star and are interested in being the spokesperson for transit, drop me an email at damien@streetsblog.org.

So your homework is to outline the plot and cast your L.A. Transit Movie.  Leave your work in the comments section.  I'll post mine a little later this weekend, and the best movie will get a "Best of Streetfilms" DVD.

On Monday, at Vine and Selma, a woman attempting to cross Vine on foot was killed after being hit by a delivery truck. The streets were immediately filled with LAPD vehicles and an investigation ensued. Although it was evident that statements were taken and that measurements and photos were taken, missing from the investigation was any evidence that the traffic signals were tested or surveyed. This is unfortunate because the signal at Vine and Selma is malfunctioning.

On the SW corner of Vine and Selma is the large Vine Village" id="xpwj" href="http://www.ansoniaproperties.com/sunsetandvine.htm">Sunset & Vine Village, a 300 unit residential/retail complex, filled with people who walk across the street to shop at Trader Joe's. At the NE corner of Selma and Ivar is Triangle Square, a 108 unit housing facility for elders. The people who cross the Vine at Selma use traffic control devices that are out of order. Malfunctioning equipment communicates to pedestrians that they are on their own and trains them to engage as opportunity presents itself.

It's been three months since Julia Siegler was killed as she attempted to cross Sunset Boulevard on foot. That incident prompted community challenges to the LADOT's signalization logic and to the LADOT's varied traffic signal strategies. At Vine and Selma, the demand actuated buttons work independently so that a ped call for a crossing on the north side will not yield a walk phase on the south side. Again, does it take a degree from MIT to cross the street? The LADOT has not responded.

Also, as a result of the tragedy on Sunset Boulevard, a request was made to the LAPD to include a survey of signal equipment as a routine element of a traffic collision investigation. Especially one resulting in a death. Apparently that request fell on deaf ears. The LAPD has not responded.

Through it all, the people of Hollywood are told to forget about the details, the uncrossable streets, the brutal traffic, the honking horns, the delivery trucks during peak hours, the taxis jockeying for position, the small streets being used as trucking cut-throughs, the lack of facilities for humans and the absolute contempt for safety. After all, look what the Metro's Hollywood & Vine TOD is doing to the economy! Remember, "It's better than it used to be!"

When did we become surrounded by apologists for mediocrity?

The Hollywood & Vine Transit Oriented Development sits on 4.6 acres of Metro property, bordered by Hollywood Boulevard to the north, Vine Avenue to the west, Selma to the south and Argyle to the east. Encompassing almost the entire block, it took ten years to get to the ribbon cutting and the result is one of LA County's largest Type 1 mixed use, transit-oriented developments (TOD) with not only 2 million sq/ft of gross building area but 29,000 sq/ft of billboard space and 1,322 motor vehicle parking spaces. It's big!

From 1999 through 2008, there were 226 traffic collisions at the four intersections surrounding what is now the Hollywood & Vine TOD. Of those collisions, 14.2% involved pedestrians or cyclists. In 2009 the streets around the TOD were somewhat restricted because of the construction and now that the streets are open, they are fast. They are also deadly as yesterday's tragedy demonstrated when a pedestrian attempting to cross the street was hit and killed by a delivery truck.

One would think that building a TOD in the middle of a busy urban environment would prompt the Metro and the CRA and the City of LA to insist on traffic mitigation from Gatehouse Capital and Legacy Partners, the developers of the Hollywood & Vine TOD. But apparently this was not the case.

As long ago as 2005, local community members at a neighborhood council meeting asked the City of LA to improve the intersections surrounding the TOD to make them more walkable, to make them safer for pedestrians. Hollywood and Argyle has long been a shortcut for motorists exiting the 101 Freeway into Hollywood and the impending arrival of the TOD prompted requests for ped scrambles, for bulb-outs, for traffic calming.

Instead of improvements that would benefit the community, the developers gave the Metro a Bus Layover Station at the expense of pedestrian safety.

The developers of TOD promise density that reduces congestion by supporting a lifestyle that is possible without a motor vehicle, providing opportunities for pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit passengers to live and work and shop and socialize and otherwise enjoy life without having to drive a car. That promise hardly panned out at Hollywood & Vine where the large fortress development is surrounded by valet parking on Hollywood Blvd, a bus stop in a right-turn-only lane that is frequently overtaken by cabbies, a motor court entrance on Argyle followed by trucking driveways and a large bus layover bay, seven driveways on Selma, and then Vine Avenue, a street that does not have an enforceable speed limit.

The Metro's Hollywood & Vine TOD is a Fortress surrounded by a moat of traffic, hardly an environment for pedestrians who may wish to cross the street.

Typically, when developers such as Gatehouse Capital and Legacy Partners present plans to build a project in Los Angeles, City Planning and the LADOT review the plans and evaluate the impact of the project on traffic, on the community on the quality of life in the surrounding area. Granted, this project promised so much, a W Hotel, condominiums, townhouses, apartments, retail and restaurant space, billboards, jobs, energy!

But what about the negative impact of the Hollywood & Vine TOD? Who asks the hard questions such as "What are the planned improvements to the surrounding intersections?" and "How will the surrounding streets be improved so that they are safer for all road users?" and "How will the increase in traffic be mitigated so that the quality of life in the surrounding community is increased, not just for the residents of Hollywood & Vine, but for the community as a whole?"

The Metro, one of the largest developers in LA County, owns great swaths of land and it intends to develop that land as a transportation system strategy and as a revenue enhancement strategy. The Metro has approximately 50 TOD projects on paper with 32 of them in play. It is essential that the community hold the Metro accountable for the impact of its TOD development on the surrounding community and that the Metro immediately prioritize the development of TOD standards that position the individual human experience as a priority. TOD projects work when people enjoy their surroundings, not just tolerate them. TOD projects work when people feel safer walking and riding, not just grateful for surviving the experience. The Metro must take responsibility for the safety and aesthetic experience of the people who use their TOD projects.

The CRA, also one of the largest developers in LA County, engages in development deals that escalate projects, all in the name of public benefit. The Development Agreements that the CRA "imposes" address everything from curtains to awnings but contain nothing of substance when it comes to standards for accommodating pedestrians, cyclists, families with children, transit passengers, tourists, locals, shoppers. Why is there no standard for a delivery service (requested several years ago as a community benefit) or a standard for public space (requested several years ago as a community benefit) or parking variances based on bike-share and car-share (requested several years ago as  community benefit) or intersection improvements that actually contribute to the walkability of Hollywood and Vine (requested several years ago as a community benefit). The CRA must take responsibility for developing and implementing real TOD standards that put the people of the community first.

The LADOT, a partner to every developer in Los Angeles and the department responsible for reviewing and approving projects after ensuring that the traffic caused by the project is appropriately mitigated, was in on the Hollywood & Vine TOD from the beginning. Their real job seems to be to exhaust the community with meeting after meeting, none of which result in any improvements to the surrounding community, but all of which simply get chalked up as "community outreach" and filed under "Whew! I'm glad that's over!" The LADOT must take responsibility for ensuring that every development come with a commitment to improve the surrounding streets and intersections so that the community is left better than before, not simply an increase in traffic resulting in a neighborhood "under siege."

For too long "It's better than it used to be!" has been Hollywood's battle cry of mediocrity. No longer. The standards we set at Hollywood & Vine are the standards that will position LA as a Great City. It's time to reach for greatness!

Hollywood deserves to be so much more than simply LA's Truck Stop!

But "Hollywood & Vine - Transit Oriented Development" isn't a movie, it's simply real life. That means that there were no Teamsters on set, there were no SAG or DGA rules in place, there was no 1st AD on the streets watching out for the safety of the pedestrians crossing Vine on Monday afternoon when a truck driver traveling west on Selma passed an 18 Wheeler being unloaded and then turned north onto Vine Ave., striking and killing a woman as she attempted to cross the street.

The intersection of Vine & Selma is at the southwest corner of the Metro's Hollywood & Vine TOD, home to the W Hollywood Hotel & Residences and the 1600 Vine Apartment Community. The new Trader Joes sits right on the corner with huge plate glass windows that look out onto the Walk of Fame.

The south side of the building has more of an industrial aesthetic, featuring seven driveways including an exit for Metro & DASH buses on layover, an exit for Trucking, entrances and exits for customers, for residents and for visitors. Selma, between Argyle and Vine, is a monument to engineered conflictAs for the corner of Vine and Selma, the cement is new as a result of the construction of the Hollywood & Vine Fortress but the cosmetic repair of the sidewalk failed to include any of the improvements that would demonstrate a TOD commitment to enhancing the safety of pedestrians. There are no bulb-outs, no refuge islands, no ped scrambles, no perpendicular curbcuts, no preferential signalization, nothing that would support the anticipated pedestrian activity to be found at a Transit Oriented Development.

The notion that the development of the Metro's Hollywood & Vine TOD should have resulted in traffic mitigation improvements that support pedestrian comfort and safety with enhanced sidewalk and intersection features is an old topic. It has been several years since representatives from the LADOT, the CRA, the Developers and the City Council staff attended neighborhood council meetings and heard requests for community benefit improvements that included everything from car-share and bike-share to delivery services to streetscape improvements that facilitated pedestrians and cyclists.

Vine is a shortcut to the freeway but it has an unenforceable speed limit. Argyle is a shortcut to the freeway and it doesn't have demand actuated crosswalk buttons. Selma is an inhospitable industrial zone that has just demonstrated that the movement of this many trucks in the afternoon may be good for the employee schedule but deathly for the humans who live in the community and walk the streets.

In the movie industry, it took a tragedy to get the attention of the public. It took the risk of financial ruin to get the attention of the film studios. It took a personal safety threat to unions to mobilize and demand protection.

On the streets of Hollywood, this woman's tragic death is a call to action. The specifics behind this incident may be complicated but the fact remains, a pedestrian lost her life, a truck operator's life will never be the same, their families will suffer and the witnesses to this tragedy will be forever traumatized. This completely unnecessary death demands the attention of the Metro, the CRA, the City of LA, the LADOT, the City Council, Gatehouse Capital and Legacy Partners, all of whom share in the responsibility for the impact of the Hollywood & Vine TOD on the streets of Hollywood.

(An early version of this post listed the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition as in partnership with the government groups.  That relationship has been clarified below. - DN)

It was just after-noon on Friday when the first tweet came in.  After literally years of discussion, planning and studying, the city was finally painting Sharrows, officially known as Shared-Lane Markings, on the streets of L.A.  The Sharrows appear on a half-mile of Fountain Street in East Hollywood.  Eventually, the Sharrows will extend for a full mile between Western Boulevard and Vermont.  This marked a major victory for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, who has pushed for Sharrows to be on the street for at least half a decade.  While the Coalition celebrated last week, they've made clear that last week's paintings were the start, not the end result, of the Shared Markings on L.A.'s streets.

Billed as the city's first Sharrows, even though some appear on private streets in Westwood and D.I.Y. Sharrows appear in Northeast L.A. by the Gold Line, this "pilot program" is finally coming to fruition after years of advocacy by the LACBC with an assist from Council President Garcetti's office.  While it might be a simple task to get Sharrows on the streets in some cities, in L.A. it took five years and the work of three government bodies, the LADOT, Bureau of Street Services and Southern California Association of Governments.  In addition, a chunk of funding for the project came from the  Bohnet Foundation, with additional funds provided by the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council.  It's a good thing Metro wasn't involved too, or it might have taken another couple of months before we saw any paint.  Just a reminder, it took four weeks for Long Beach to move their award-winning green Sharrowed lanes from Charles Gandy's head to the street.

You can see above what a Sharrow looks like.  If you're new to the discussion and wondering how that is supposed to make a street safer; a Sharrow serves two purposes.  First, it tells cyclists where to ride to avoid the door zone.  Second, it alerts and reminds drivers where cyclists can and should be riding with the support of the law.  I would add that third, it reminds the police that cyclists aren't supposed to ride in the gutter, but that's just the cynic in me after too many "ride to the right" commercials.  As we'll see later, the placement of the Sharrows is creating a real concern that "L.A.'s first official Sharrows" aren't going to accomplish any of these goals.

The first to report on the new paint was the LADOT Bike Blog who made sure not to undersell the event.  The blog opened by declaring, "Friday June 11th marks a new beginning: LADOT is proud to unveil the first official Sharrows within the City of Los Angeles."  Jeesh, don't you guys read The Source?  A touch of objectivity in style goes a long way in selling your message.  The Bike Blog was pretty breathless in its reporting of the installation, and goes into great detail on the process of actually painting the Sharrows, as shown above.  While the Bike Blog talks about the markings appearing between Vermont and Western on Fountain, so far the Sharrows only appear in one direction (Eastbound) and only go for half the strip.

Following the Bike Blog, an excited celebratory post appeared on the LACBC Blog, and LAist followed with some pictures and mild praise.  While reading the post at the LACBC Blog, I flashed back to an interview I conducted with Smolarski and LACBC Planning Director Dorothy Le.  The interview, conducted in May of 2009 touched on the topic of Sharrows and why it was taking so long for the paint to get on the ground.  Smolarski basically said she would be thrilled if Sharrows were painted before the New Year.  After all that work, it must have been double exciting to see the city finally making good on their years-old promise, after untold hours of advocacy, to paint these road markings.

On the Eco-Village Blog, Joe Linton wrote a piece as detailed as the LADOT Bike Blog's except his outlined the tortured history of the project.  If I had to describe his post in one sentence it would be, "It's nice to see Sharrows on the street but it's taken forever."  Linton paid special attention to the infamous comment made at a City Council Transportation Committee hearing by Senior Bike Coordinator Michelle Mowery that the department was concerned about cyclists slipping on paint and suing the city.  I would have focused on Mike Uyeno's concern that the Sharrows would lead to slower car traffic, but to each their own.  I guess it's a good thing he chose the "slippery when wet" comment, as Ted Rogers snarked on it several times at Biking in L.A.'s announcement of the Sharrws.

But of course the most important issue is how the Sharrows actually effect how people ride on Fountain and the other five streets that will see them installed in the coming weeks. The early reports are mixed.  Some people seem happy that the LADOT and city are doing something.  I've even seen some tweets referring to a ride along Fountain as "empowering."  However, reports from Stephen Box, who measured the Sharrow placement and found it wanting, should raise some eyebrows.

At Soap Box, Box reports that the Sharrows are placed only 12 feet from the curb, which places part of the marking within the door zone.  Box videos himself measuring the distance, so there's no doubt about where the Sharrows are, then goes into depth about how the difference between a Sharrow placed 12 feet and one placed 13 feet makes all the difference in the world.  And if you don't want to take Box's word for it, you don't have to.  He provides quotes from bike safety experts, including Long Beach's Gandy, and a deeply disappointed president of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council.  After all, if the Sharrows aren't directing cyclists to ride where they're safest, then what's the point of the program in any case?

For Box, the Sharrow placement is part of a larger issue.  For years, LADOT has preached that cyclists should "Ride to the Right, and Stop at the Light."  When a Sharrow is placed too far to the right, it brings up the issue again.  Despite the importance of placing Sharrows so that cyclists are riding outside the door zone, these Sharrows are placed a little too far to the right reinforcing the idea that cyclists should "ride to the right."  LAPD's new training materials tell their officers that cyclists are entitled the full use of the lane.  Is LADOT continuing to preach something different, or was the placement of these new Sharrows just a mistake?

To be somewhat fair to LADOT, and the Bureau of Street Services who actually paints the markings, there is going to be a chance to fix this mistake at other locations.  Thus far, the city has painted Sharrows at one quarter of one of six locations they are to be painted, roughly 4% of the pilot project.  In the meantime, the debate between 12 and 13 or 14 will carry on as some cyclists ponder whether a mis-placed Sharrow is better than no Sharrow at all.

Senator Barbara Boxer, in her ULI TOD Summit appearance, invoked the “Rule of 60″ when she made the claim that 60% of our economy is made up of small businesses and that 60% of the small businesses in our community are struggling with credit and regulatory issues. Bearing witness to the validity of her claim is Bechir Blagui of Hollywood Rent A Car, a local merchant on Hollywood Boulevard, who has a dream, a vision, a commitment to offering local, sustainable transportation solutions to the locals who live here and the to tourists who visit. But…

When Bechir attempted to bring electric community car share to Hollywood Boulevard, he hit a roadblock, an obstacle that could not be moved, the City of LA’s bureaucracy. From City Council President Eric Garcetti to Councilman Tom LaBonge to Assemblyman Mike Feuer to the Department of Water and Power to the Department of Transportation to Street Services to Building and Safety, Bechir took LA’s famous “Small Business Pachinko” ride that typically results in migration to Burbank, Glendale, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood or anywhere else but here. Bechir did not leave.

Bechir stayed and maintained his commitment to a local, sustainable transportation solution and as he continues to work on getting electric charging stations installed on Hollywood Boulevard, he simply invested in electric bikes and now supplements his car rental business with bikes-for-rent. If only he had some bike racks!

Again comes the magic and charm of LA’s Bureaucracy as Bechir discovers that the City of LA has suspended their bike rack program, purportedly because of the city’s budget crisis. (The racks are in a warehouse, the installation is done by a contractor who is funded through a “special” fund, there is no impact to LA’s General Budget) Bechir now has bikes-for-rent but is unable to get permanent curbside bike parking on Hollywood Boulevard.

Bechir maintained his commitment to a local, sustainable transportation solution, this time by hiring a local welder to fabricate some bike racks and then by installing then in front of his store on Hollywood Boulevard. Again, he learned to survive by going DIY.

Senator Barbara Boxer was effective when she invoked the “Rule of 60″ claim (when making a point, use the 60% statistic, it’s reasonable, it’s convincing, it’s acceptable, even to skeptics, 60% of whom accept the Rule of 60 as sensible) but it seems that she would be even more effective if she begins to invoke the “Rule of DIY” in her next LA
speech, after all, DIY products are LA’s only local export these days!

Photo: Stephen Box

The ULI-TOD Summit also, inadvertantly, served as a metaphor for what's wrong with the TOD landscape in our community, in our city, and in this country; a focus on the big picture at the expense of the individual or personal experience. In other words, high-altitude, big-picture solutions that lack attention to details.

This Summit came complete with Senator Barbara Boxer's lunchtime announcement of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's endorsement of LA's 30/10 plan to leverage anticipated transit revenue in order to fast-track a dozen significant regional transit projects. Definitely huge! Along the way, the feds were represented, the state was represented, the county was represented and the City of LA's City Council President Eric Garcetti joined the feeding frenzy to add his blessings to the TOD lovefest. Attendees rubbed elbows with financiers, developers, consultants, innovators, real estate brokers, contractors and all of the many partners who work together to bring the magic of TOD to life, or at least to the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Missing from the Summit was an acknowledgment that the most important element in TOD projects is the individual's experience. Granted, everything is important and everybody contributes in their own special way, but the unique and personal perspective of the individual must never be lost in the awesomeness and hugeness of TOD. Unfortunately, losing that human touch is the norm, not the exception.

The simple process for registering for the TOD Summit demonstrated the Transit Oriented Disconnect that is all too common, offering driving instructions and parking instructions in first position. No mention is made of accommodating those who might arrive on a bike. For those who might attempt to ride the Metro, there are incorrect instructions and no wayfinding tips once out of the station. One would think that TOD Summit attendees, of all people, would be most likely to use mass transit but apparently not. It must be an acquired taste.

The Summit itself was loaded with breakout sessions that ranged from "The Money Train" to "Planning Objectives" to "Financing Tools" to "Green House Gas" to "Public Private Partnerships," demonstrating a huge bias in favor of the "deal" and a lack of sensitivity to the personal experience of the individual. There was a gesture in the right direction with the "Placemaking" session, led by architects who use words such as "thoughtful" and "enhance" and "vibrant" to describe their work.

There were three TOD tours offered to attendees, featuring the Hollywood & Highland facility, the Wilshire & Vermont project and the new Hollywood & Vine Fortress. Unfortunately, the TOD tours were unable to uncover any of the thoughtful and vibrant enhancements that might be used as evidence of a sensitivity to the needs of the individual. 

Missing from the tour was an example of the intersection improvements that would encourage pedestrians to cross the busy streets that surround all three TOD projects. No ped scrambles, no bulb-outs, no refuge islands, no enhanced signalization, nothing.

Missing from the tour was an example of any improvements that would accommodate cyclists and allow passengers to close transit gaps, as well as residents who might use a bike for local trips, and also cyclists who shop at the TOD businesses. Unfortunately, no bike racks, no bike storage facility, no bike signage, nothing at all.

Missing from the tour was an example of any innovations in wayfinding, not just to help lost tourists find their way around the neighborhood, but to support the local economy by encouraging people to experience more of the surrounding community. Granted, there is signage, albeit outdated, confusing, and oriented in the wrong direction. Worse than nothing!

Missing from the tour was an example of any innovations in public space, pleasing and comfortable at the personal level. The brochures for the featured TOD tours offered aerial pictures of the projects, something the individual on the ground doesn't experience. Missing was a tour of shaded benches, tranquil resting spots for weary travelers, safe space for a parent with restless children, a meeting place for friends, or any of the other Great Space elements that bring that purported commitment to the personal experience to life. Again, nothing.

Missing from the tour was an example of how public facilities (rest rooms) can be incorporated into the design and operation of a large TOD. "Customers Only" is the traditional greeting on Hollywood Boulevard, in contrast to the TOD experience of tourists, families with small children, commuters, and customers in other parts of the world. The Hollywood & Vine experiment with restrooms has already failed, resulting in the closure of the ill-positioned and poorly maintained facilities and allowing the Metro to shrug and offer "I told you restrooms were a bad idea!" as the latest innovation in TOD comforts. Less than nothing.

Missing from the tour was an example of how a TOD can connect with the surrounding community, drawing people in and creating a destination, not simply a transit hub. All three TOD tours took place in facilities that have fortress-like qualities that create great space with fantastic amenities for those on the inside, but at the expense of that infamous "conversation" with the street. "Womb-like" is the experience once one is inside the W Hollywood compound, allowing the guest to experience a spectator's vantage point of Hollywood Boulevard and the surrounding city. As for connectivity, nothing.

Missing from the tour was a demonstration of how TOD projects can be more than simply an innovation in real estate development, structural engineering, and housing funding, but in the creation and support of Great Communities. No mention was made of the standards that must be established to ensure that TOD projects are not simply development tools, but that they are significant commitments to making LA a Great City. As for standards, nothing.

The Urban Land Institute is made up of 40,000+ members around the world, including developers, builders, engineers, attorneys, planners, investors, financial advisors, academics, architects and public officials. Their commitment to providing leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide is significant. Last week's ULI TOD Summit bears witness. But...

Beware the Developocrat! The Metro has 32 TOD projects in play with a total of 50 on paper. Once funded, there is no turning back. There is an impending battle looming on the horizon and when DIMBY (Developer in My Back Yard) meets NIMBY, the community will suffer. Now is the time to find the middle ground, to celebrate the impending arrival of the Money Train by doubling down on the development and implementation of TOD standards that put the personal experience of the individual back where it belongs, in the center of the TOD Vision.

A view from the W Hotel. Photo: Gloria Ohland

Robust Attendance at ULI Event Indicates Developers, Investors and Feds On Board

The Urban Land Institute held a well-attended TOD Summit (as in transit-oriented development, or TOD) in Hollywood on Friday that signifies the quiet revolution going on in the world of transportation and development in Los Angeles. First, US Senator Barbara Boxer keynoted the lunch, announcing that the US DOT would admit both Phase 1 and 2 of the "subway to the sea" into the preliminary engineering process and conduct environmental review of both phases simultaneously - jumpstarting the subway project and greatly improving chances it will win federal New Starts funding.

Second, ULI released a positive analysis of the economic impacts of SB 375, the legislation requiring Californians to cutback greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 through transportation and land use strategies, and to reduce emissions another 80 percent by 2050. This has become a politically volatile issue, and the oil companies are funding a campaign to get a measure to repeal AB 32, the landmark companion legislation that established the GHG reduction targets, on the ballot this fall.

Boxer also announced Congress would be including a strategy to fund LA's "30-10" plan to build all 12 rail and bus rapid transit projects funded by Measure R in 10 years in the upcoming reauthorization of the federal transportation bill. While there are a number of loan and bond programs that allow the federal government to provide funding for single transportation projects, there is no mechanism for funding an entire program of projects such as Mayor Villaraigosa has proposed with 30-10.

Both the 30-10 plan and SB 375 push the city and LA County toward a more compact and sustainable urban form focused around a rail system and non-motorized transportation. And the robust attendance at the conference indicated the degree to which developers and investors as well as the Obama Administration are interested in promoting transit, infill, mixed-use, TOD, and complete streets programs.

HUD's Shelley Poticha, senior advisor for HUD's new $500 million Sustainable Communities program and the morning keynote speaker, spoke about how HUD, the US DOT and the US EPA are all integrating their funding programs to promote sustainability and livability. Among the initiatives that HUD is considering, she said, is a new definition of housing affordability that will consider not just the cost of housing but also the cost of transportation, and that will reward those housing projects that reduce a household's transportation costs by providing good transit access and the option of walking and biking.

Throughout the day speakers talked about TOD projects in Los Angeles, about how to work with neighborhoods to build support for these projects, and how to find more funding for transit operations. There were afternoon tours of several projects, including the new Hollywood and Vine apartment, condo and W Hotel project, which features business conference rooms for residents as well as a hundred balconies and rooftop terraces with firepits, swimming pools and bars providing dramatic views of the Hollywood Hills, city and ocean. And there's a new Trader Joe's.

The panel of developers, mayors and others who spoke about the SB 375 analysis said that the Sustainable Community Strategy, or SCS, that is required under SB 375 will provide the certainty that both developers and investors need in order to build more mixed-use loft, live-work, and TOD projects near transit. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has begun working with its 189 member cities to develop an SCS by 2012.

Many of SCAG's member cities, including Fullerton and Ontario, have already begun dramatic upzoning around transit stations, and SCAG is tripling the funding in its Compass Blueprint Demonstration Program to provide for initiatives supporting mixed use, infill, TOD, walking and biking. Recent SCAG analyses for SB 375 show that cities across the region have been updating their general plans to reflect the planning priorities of SB 375.

For example, SCAG models show that more than half of all new development by 2020 will be built near transit stations across the region, and that the only new road capacity that is planned - with the exception of the 710 tunnel through South Pasadena and the proposed High Desert Corridor from SR 14 to the 1-15 - will be either HOV or HOT (high occupancy toll) lanes.

"SB 375 tells developers where they should be building - near transit stations, not in the greenfields," said Renata Simril, senior vice president of infill and mixed-use development for the national builder Forest City. "Time is money for developers and investors, and if we have the certainty that we are supposed to build near transit stations, then that is where we'll build."

Last year at the Alternative Car Expo (to most known as the AltCar Expo), there was much excitement about all the motor vehicles that were trying to be sold as the new alternative to cars. Huh? There was a small area in a room off to the side and hidden from through traffic that was set up for the real alternatives and the Greensters had their own "park" set up,  demonstrating that one can carry lots of stuff on a good bike without having to waste the resources that manufacturing a car does. Unfortunately their excitement was drowned out by the oohs and aahs coming from the big room as the "green" crowd clamored around dozens of motor vehicles (Alt-Car?) that ran on batteries, good wishes, great intentions, and a continued commitment to the misuse of large amounts of public space.

What a difference six months makes! Now, the real crowd pleaser, the attention getter, the main draw at Hollywood Rent A Car on Hollywood Boulevard is not a motor vehicle but a bicycle! Huh? Who would have thought!

Bechir Blagui from Hollywood Rent a Car, who is committed to bringing electric car rental to Hollywood but gets no support from the city, somehow got turned on by the idea of bringing electric bikes to his shop and renting them out. The idea came to fruition very quickly and one day as I passed his shop, I saw the bikes in the front window and I squealed. Bechir came out, smiled up to his ears and said "Here, take it for a spin."

My husband, Stephen Box, and I test rode the bikes and while Stephen interviewed Bechir people from all walks, young and old, came into the rental place, smiling, excited and curious about the bike rental options. The air was electric. Literally!

A week later, which was yesterday, representatives of iRoll Bikes came to Bechir's store to show him their models and the excitement was felt around the block. People eating at restaurants near by came out to see what the bikes were about. Kids stood on the curb with their parents. Cyclists who rode by did a double take. Young women's faces lit up as they passed us on the sidewalk, looking over the bikes, their features and their ease of use.

Bechir's Hollywood Rent a Bike business is the first one of its kind in Hollywood. The City of Los Angeles had the opportunity to engage in the Bike Share program years ago when CBS/Decaux brought its street furniture/billboard program to LA. Demonstrating the vision (or lack thereof) that is part of LA's DNA, our leadership passed on the opportunity to get a funded Bike Share program and selected the current bus bench/kiosk program as the payoff for giving up advertising rights to CBS/Decaux. Mayor Villaraigosa, who Bechir approached for charging stations on Hollywood Blvd. for his electric cars, passed on the opportunity to work with Bechir on a fantastic sustainable business solution when he turned his back on Bechir's plea for help. City Council President Eric Garcetti was no help and Councilman Tom LaBonge was only able to think of obstacles to Bechir's dreams.

But Bechir plugs away (no pun intended). The electric bikes are available for rental for the hour, day, overnight, week, and month. People can ride the bikes up to the Observatory with ease, they can go shopping at Hollywood & Highland or go to the Kodak Theatre or Barnsdall Art Park for a Sunday afternoon art show. These bikes are super easy to use, anybody could get on them and not break a sweat during the hot summer months.

Bechir is committed and he is an inspiration. He understands the struggle as a small business owner and maybe that makes him sympathize more with cyclists because now he understands the struggle that non-motorists deal with on a daily basis.

The excitement over the bikes is a big step forward in Hollywoods car centric culture and now I know for sure that individuals can lead by example, that one can change car culture with simple acts and dreams that might be a struggle but the victory is always sweeter.

Check out Bechir's bike rental and let your friends know when they come to LA that they don't need to rent a car because Bechir is here to serve them

One of my favorite transportation rhetorical devices has always been the relationship between Transit Oriented Development, or TOD, and its evil brother, Transit Adjacent Development, TAD.  TAD breaks all the rules that make TOD work, but because they can look similar they often get confused.  Unfortunately, TAD can give TOD a bad name.

From Reconnecting America, a national non-profit that advocates for more and better TOD nationwide, explains the difference between TAD and TOD in this article in Mass Transit Magazine. 

TAD is TOD gone bad, development that is adjacent to transit but breaks all the rules that make TOD work, like making public spaces the focus of building orientation and neighborhood activity; creating pedestrian-friendly street networks that directly connect local destinations; and providing a mix of housing types, densities and costs.

Other definitions of Transit Oriented Development include "restriction of automobile parking," "affordable housing elements" and "bicycle access."

Reading some of Stephen Box's criticism of Metro and the W in recent weeks, it got me to wonder.  Is the W, the diamond of Metro's TOD programming, really transit oriented or merely transit adjacent?  We've already seen how some of Metro's other "TOD" projects undermine themselves by having an abundance of automobile parking, even more than the state average; or desperately announce to the public their free parking.

The best argument that it is truly a piece of Transit Oriented Development comes from The Source.  Fred Camino writes lovingly of the beautiful work done to connect the station to the plaza in front of the W.

Beyond aesthetics, the redesign is functional, effectively creating a fantastic public space with ample seating and plenty of access to transit information. According to Metro staff involved in the redesign, much work was put into making sure the station entrance was unmistakeably visible from the street in order to adhere to the goals of TOD, and I’d say they’ve succeeded admirably. With the exception of an unfinished Metro pylon, the station entrance is unmissable.

But in the same piece, Camino, who doesn't serve as anyone's house organ, also takes the W to task for barely mentioning transit on their website.  Somewhere they mention being located on top of the Red Line, but without the link Camino provides I couldn't find it on my own.  Two months later, they still haven't added any mention of Metro to the most visible parts of the site.

A visit to the W Hollywood Hotel’s website reveals nothing about the hotel’s transit accessibility, especially odd considering it’s built right atop a subway station and it was made possible due to a joint partnership with the local transit agency. Of course, driving directions from every point on the map are included.

So even by The Source's standards, a mixed review for the W from a development standpoint.  High marks for the plaza.  Low marks for encouraging independence from automobile.  So let's look at some of the other standards that differentiate TAD and TOD.

Undoubtedly, this area of Los Angeles, in the heart of Hollywood, is one of the more pedestrian friendly areas of Los Angeles.  Only the stars on the ground differentiate the foot traffic from what you'd see in Midtown Manhattan.  So the W's location earns it some points, but what are the pedestrian benefits of the development?  When the W was first being pitched the community there was talk of pedestrian scrambles at the intersections surrounding the development.  That idea has certainly died somewhere in the negotiating process.  Again, an at best mixed grade.

But when it comes to "providing a mix of housing types, density and costs," which is a long way of saying "needs affordable housing" the W doesn't have a mixed grade.  It fails miserably.  The least expensive unit for sale in the apartment units sells for $800,000.  Affordable?  Not for this blogger, even with a business development executive for a wife.

When it comes to parking, not only does the W fail, it fails proudly.  The W didn't seek an exemption from the city's parking minimums citing its existence as "Transit Oriented," which means that there's going to be more cheap parking than the eye can see, but instead revels in its car culture.  Don't believe me?  Go to the W Hollywood Residences Site and click on "Wheels" in the "Experience W" section.  It's a love letter to car parking.  Literally.

Box also shows, in the second picture from the top in this article, that the W encourages people to drive (or ride in their limos) to their club and other attractions to the point of leaving cars standing in "no-parking" zones until the valets can get to work.  The cost of the valet?  A wallet-friendly $16.

Last but not least, is the development bicycle friendly.  I'm not going to re-hash all of Box's arguments, but suffice it to say he demolishes the idea that the development is bike friendly.  Most damningly, there is not one bike rack anywhere on the site.  Two months after it opened, Metro says racks are coming to a little room located off to the side this summer, there isn't one single rack on site.  Towards the bottom of the article linked to in this site, Box lists eight ways Metro can fix the bike issue; but with mixed and failing grades in all the other sections not even following these suggestions can save this development from being named a TAD.

The W Development is certainly an attractive destination that will probably make its investors and developers a lot of money.  The bar looks classy, the pool club on the roof looks like a certain hot spot and the condos look as though they're out of a movie about living the good life.  It may be all those things, but as an example of Transit Oriented Development, the W is a TAD, not a TOD, and there's a lot that would have to be fixed for it to be anything else.

Last Wednesday we premiered At What Price, a short film that I wrote and directed and that was shot 100% sustainably in East Hollywood.

Sustainability typically is limited to "no plastic" and "no styrofoam" but we explored sustainability further. Much further.

We wanted to involve the community and make the neighborhood be part of our sustainability commitment. Oftentimes, film productions come into town, tow cars, disrupt peoples lives, trash the streets and then leave town. We wanted to be different. We asked the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council to help us and to endorse our sustainable production. They did. We asked a local arborist Cassandra Pruett and LA's Park Czar Alfredo Hernandez, to help us with tree planting after our shoot is over. After all, we wanted to leave the community better then we found it.

The food for cast & crew was brought fresh from local farmers markets, the food was mostly Mediterranean or raw to avoid cooking and the catering area had a team of compost experts from CaterGreen namely Allan & Herminia. We had a footprintologist on set to keep us honest and the shooting location as well as the casting and production meetings were near Transit Corridors.  Everybody used stainless steel water containers and the utensils and dishes were washed and sanitized. Half the cast came to set via Metro and the others walked or rode bikes.

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome was transportation and that was when the Greensters came in. Led by Transpo Captain Ron 'the Sherpa" Durgin, the Greensters are a completely pedal powered transpo team that hauled all grip and electic equipment, all camera and audio and also did the shopping at local farmers markets for the caterer and handled all prduction needs during the shoot.

Lots of thought was put into making our film sustainable, including sourcing solar powered Libery Paks for lighting and for camera, as well as "green" lighting, water usage and sanitation, film vs. cards, etc. And once the film was finished, we continued to be sustainable.

The film was dropped off for submission to Sundance and Slamdance via bike (both offices are in LA) and the Cannes submission was mailed in reused envelope and the CD was put in a paper envelope and all materials were printed on 100% recycled paper.

All transactions after the film wrapped were done on-line or in person and delivered on bikes. The editor even had a bike rack in front of his business. That was very cool and very convenient!

Nine weeks have passed since the shoot and we held our first screening at the beautiful Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood. East Hollywood has three Red Line Stations so it is very conveniently located to make sustainable choices. We promised indoor bike parking at Barnsdall and we also encouraged travel via public transportation. Refreshments to the after party were also brought in via bikes.

Bringing film production into town can add to street live and to the health of the community if planned right. Buying and renting local, biking and walking the streets, seeking Neighborhood Council endorsement and leaving the community better then before would not only bring money back to the community but also bring money into the pockets of the producers because locals would help promote the film. If more productions would embrace the local approach our film industry would be much healthier not only to our communities but also to our soul.

If you would like to find out about festival screenings of the sustainably shot film At What Price, follow us on facebook or on twitter.

If you are interested about seeing the documentary about our 100% sustainable film shoot, send us an email to rebelwithoutacarproductions@gmail.com and we'll put you on our mailing list.  You will definitely see it on my set because I wouldn't travel any other way.

Three weeks ago I asked the world for help in fulfilling Rebel Without A Car Production's commitment to producing a film sustainably. Our goal was to shoot locally and in partnership with the community.

It all seemed so doable when we were brainstorming and imagining a world of "Big Stories told with Little Footprints!" but when the production got going and I realized that all the grip & electric, all the camera and audio, all the food and all of the production supplies would need to be transported on bikes, I began to sweat.

There was a brief moment when I imagined myself riding solo through the streets of Hollywood in the middle of the night, laboring to keep the production moving, all the while cursing Enci's commitment to shooting "At What Price" sustainably.

That's how I found myself posting a video, calling for help, hoping that someone, somewhere would come and join me. In a moment of optimism, we named our substitute Teamsters "The Greensters" and the journey began.

Time was running out and I received a couple of emails, a couple of calls and a few nods and expressions of interest. I was happy for any interest, I was hopeful for help, and I was under pressure!

The day of reckoning came and history was made in East Hollywood!

Greensters showed up from all over, Beverly Hills, Orange County, Highland Park, Silver Lake, K-Town, Pasadena, Hermosa Beach, Marina Del Rey. They arrived on Xtracycles, they pulled wagons and trailers, they came on bikes of all shapes and sizes. DJ Chickenleather, who usually gets up at the crack of noon, even on his day off, arrived with a homemade bamboo trailer that looked suspiciously like a re-purposed Pier One patio display. It was all good!

We were a team. A team of Greensters and we had some history to make. Oh yeah, and a film.

The Greensters proceeded to pickup the rentals for the film shoot, getting in line with the Teamsters and their Studio trucks.  The Greensters moved a lot more quickly and a lot more efficiently. They put the Teamsters to shame. (One guy with a big truck is no match for a swarm of Greensters who divvy up the load and "Ride Loaded!")

Ron "the Sherpa" Durgin served as Transpo Captain and planned the routes, organized the Greensters and led the convoy down Santa Monica Boulevard and to the location in East Hollywood, riding an Xtracycle loaded with gear and a the filmmaker who documented the journey!

Jeremy Grant also rode an Xtracycle as did Erik Knutzen and by the end of the production, they had quite a few converts. I had anticipated more cyclists with trailers and wagons but the Xtracycles proved to be the transpo solution of the future. No matter how we started off, within moments the Xtracycles were at the front of the pack while DJ and I rode caboose, debated philosophy and interviewed each other.

Josef Bray-Ali of Flying Pigeon LA graciously donated the use of a Bakfiet and an Xtracycle and Beth and Tracey put them to good work. Monster Kat of Handmade Store on a Bike loved what we were doing and set us up with two of the trailers she uses for her pedal-powered store.

The Greensters came from all walks and with different perspectives and that added another layer of sustainability to the endeavor. Laura is a Film Producer, Dale is a Transportation Engineer, Wai is a Marine Biologist, Shant is a LEED Contractor, Feather is a Chef, and Allan & Herminia are ZeroWaste Consultants. Through it all, the Greensters shared a passion for creating community and challenging the status quo.

During the shoot, the Greensters shopped local Farmers markets and the crew was nourished with fresh food, prepared at Camp Rebel, all with a zero waste commitment. Production was supported at all times with cyclists such as Ricardo who were quicker to get around the neighborhood on bikes than if they had been using cars.

Kimby Caplan in Bakfiet while the Greensters are lending a hand. Photo by Brian Smith.

Riding around Hollywood was loads of fun but the true test came when late at night it was time for a company move. The Camera Crew were a little under-impressed as they watched us roll out, ready to move all the equipment to an exterior location a couple of blocks away. "Time is money! It's getting late! What about power?"

In less time that it takes to pry a Teamster out of a Motorhome, we had moved everything including the solar-powered LibertyPak generators and the Nila lights and we were ready to shoot. Josef's Bakfiet served as camera-bike and the DP sat in the bucket with her camera and a contented look on her face as Flying Pigeon LA put another dolly grip out of work, replaced by a Greenster!

We had a great time, we challenged the transpo paradigm of "the Industry" and Hollywood didn't fall of its axis.

At the end of the shoot, Enci had her film. That, in and of itself, is an accomplishment. But we went one better. We did it sustainably, with a zero waste commitment and by overcoming the two biggest obstacles that prevent Hollywood from doing the right thing; Transportation and Energy.

As for the Greensters, the next objective is to lay down the "Sustainability Manifesto for the Industry."

The challenge is on!

Last year the City decided to ease its restrictive rules that limited when and where cabs could pick up passengers in a Downtown Pilot program.  Cabbies and the LADOT must have been happy with the results, because the program has expanded to Hollywood beginning this week and ending in January 10, 2010.

So far, everyone seems excited about the taxi program, with Council President Eric Garcetti, the Councilman for Hollywood, going so far as to say the program will, "make it easier for people to enjoy the world-class attractions, shopping and dining in this community, and it alleviates traffic congestion."  The same NBC piece quotes leaders of homeowners and business groups claiming the program will reduce car-dependency.

And that's the real question, will being able to "Hail-a-Taxi" in Hollywood reduce V.M.T. and car dependency?  After all, a trip made in the back of a cab or behind a steering wheel will go the same distance.

I think the largest argument in favor of "Hail-a-Taxi" being a progressive step forward is that with our subway service not running late at night, people traveling to Hollywood for a late-night event can take the train to the event and not have to run out afterwards to catch a train home.  Taxi's can also help solve the "last mile" problem for train riders.

For the argument that cabs are going to be bad for traffic congestion and alternative transportation is that for many people cabs might replace bus or train trips and actually increase the amount of car traffic on local streets.  While there was a concern last year that the ordinance would lead to a rash of double-parked cars in the Downtown, it seems as though those fears were unfounded.

There hasn't been a lot of research on the impact of "Hail-a-Taxi" type programs have on VMT, so it's up to us.  If you live in or near Hollywood, or are a regular visitor; keep your eyes open and let me know what you think of "Hail-a-Taxi" in Hollywood during and after the pilot program.  The comments section will remain open, or you can email me at damien@streetsblog.org.