Westholme and Le Conte, a formerly Sharrowed intersection.Last night, UCLA Planner Madeline Brozen tweeted that the Westholme Sharrows, which have been on the street for nearly five weeks, have been partially removed after Westholme Avenue had been repaved. The Sharrows used to stretch from the corner of Westholme and Wilshire Boulevard all the way to the UCLA Campus area, but after a repaving project north of Santa Monica Boulevard, the Sharrows have been covered by a layer of asphalt.
Angered reaction is already coming from the twitterverse and other advocacy groups. While I was out photographing the street, The Transit Coalition wrote about the removal in their newsletter and wondered whether departments talk to each other.
Can you see the Sharrow? My camera's autofocus couldn't.
...but no criticism stung as much as that from the
City Bureau of Street Services. Without even a whimper, the brand new
Sharrows on Westholme Ave. were covered up when the street was
resurfaced. Do these City Departments not talk to each other? (Silos are
very popular at the City!)
Ironically, LADOTS Senior Bike Coordinator Michelle Mowery was unable to answer my query's about the Sharrow removal as she is currently in the field monitoring drivers and cyclists reaction to the Sharrows pilot program with a group of LACBC volunteers. Naturally, that group of volunteers happens to include Brozen who surely has some questions for the Bike Coordinator.
When we hear back from LADOT on a timeline to put the Sharrows back, well let you know.
Update: Michelle Mowery, the LADOT Senior Bikeway Coordinator responds: "We have confirmed that a section of the Shared Lane Marking (Sharrow) on
Westholme north of Wilshire have been deleted with some sort of
resurfacing project. Westholme does not appear on any of the current
resurfacing lists provided to LADOT from Public Works. Rest assured the
pilot project is continuing; today we are in the field doing the After
test of the sharrow location on Westholme where the markings remain."
