Solstice News Round-Up: La Brea Bus Lanes, NoHo DASH, Anaheim Street Improvements

2:18 PM PST on December 21, 2022

As of last week, LADOT Anaheim Street safety improvements are partially complete. Photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

Streetsblog is publishing lightly this week. Look for headlines tomorrow, then publishing will resume Tuesday, December 27.

Below are some recent news briefs that didn't quite rise to the level of a full story.

Anaheim Street Safety Improvements Installation Underway

The L.A. City Transportation Department is in the process of installing planned safety improvements on Anaheim Street, though the community of Wilmington. The project includes a lane reconfiguration (called a road diet), new signalized pedestrian crossings, new bike lanes (protected for some stretches), a new protected intersection, the city's first back-in diagonal parking (on Neptune Avenue), and more.

Preliminary striping on Anaheim Street in Wilmington

As of late last week, Anaheim Street repaving was complete, and new striping was partially done.

Bike and walk safety improvements on the way on Anaheim Street in LA’s Wilmington neighborhood. @LADOTofficial says they expect the project to be done in January. pic.twitter.com/i3steMXg8Y
— StreetsblogLA (@StreetsblogLA) December 15, 2022

In an email to SBLA, LADOT Spokesperson Colin Sweeney noted that the department is "on track to complete installation by mid-January," with several items outstanding: "to finish the striping, add green paint at conflict zones, and beige paint for intersection tightenings, along with installing the bollards and rubber protection for the intersection treatments."

Even before the facility is complete, the community's new City Councilmember Tim McOsker has already questioned the project in a motion (council file 22-1568). The motion states that "Residents have expressed concern about the impact of these [Anaheim Street] changes" and directs LADOT "to report on effects of the traffic calming measures and safety improvements to Anaheim Street," including "the methodology and metrics for evaluating its effectiveness."

New bike lanes on Anaheim Street — Nearly completed new bike lanes on Anaheim Street

La Brea Bus Lanes Delayed

About a month ago, LADOT announced that La Brea Avenue bus lane installations would get underway the week of December 5. The La Brea bus lanes, part of the city's Mobility Plan 2035, were approved back in 2015.

Yesterday, LADOT announced that that "due to unforeseen circumstances with the contractor, most construction activities will now begin in early 2023."

Metro map of La Brea Avenue bus lane project

Yesterday's LADOT announcement noted that the initial phase of La Brea bus lanes will be just from Sunset Boulevard to Olympic Boulevard. The remaining lower portion is not yet scheduled: "Utilizing a phased approach to project implementation will allow us to bring the benefits of improved bus speed and reliability to our Line 212 riders sooner, while also continuing our work with the community to finalize the project design between Olympic Blvd. and Coliseum St."

Note that the difference in these sections is political. The project is moving forward in L.A. City Council Districts 5 and 13, represented by Councilmember Katy Young Yaroslavsky and Hugo Soto-Martinez, respectively. It is delayed in Council District 10, represented by Councilmember Heather Hutt. Until Hutt's section is completed, the bus lanes will not connect to the Metro E Line.

New Metro Ridership Recovery Figures

It took a couple weeks for Metro to share CEO Stephanie Wiggins' December 1 board meeting presentation slides, which show how Metro ridership has been trending positively.

xxx — Metro December 1 presentation slide on Metro ridership recovery trends

xxx — Metro December 1 presentation slide on ridership and bus operator shortage

Find the full presentation at Metro meeting page.

New North Hollywood DASH Bus

Last week, LADOT launched new DASH bus service for North Hollywood, connecting to the Metro G and B Lines NoHo station.

From LADOT's press release:

The 6.5 mile NoHo DASH line loop is a service designed to be a neighborhood circulator service, making local destinations more accessible, with stops at the Metro B (Red) Line North Hollywood Station, NoHo West Shopping Mall, Roy Romer Middle School, Victory Vineland Recreation Center, East Valley High School, and the NoHo Arts District.
“In the 1930s, a young person like my mother could travel all over the Valley on the Red Car and other forms of public transportation,” said Council President Krekorian. “Things changed and we became more car-centric, but now things are changing again. With important steps like this new DASH line, we’re making it possible for people of all ages to live, work and travel around the city without a car.”
“At LADOT we are committed to building out a transportation network that connects people to their communities and gets them to where they need to go safely and reliably,” said LADOT Interim General Manager Connie Llanos. "The NoHo line will not only connect residents to schools, grocery stores, and retail, but it will also help them connect to other forms of public transit, giving them real options for how they travel.”
Operating in 30-minute frequencies, the bi-directional DASH loop will operate from 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM Monday- Friday and 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays except on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.