This Week In Livable Streets

Metro 710 and 10 Freeway widening meetings, L.A. Walks Sidewalk Soirée, Ready for Reseda, L.A. County parking minimums, Van Nuys Boulevard light rail construction, and more.

• Ongoing through 5/31 - Metro is doing C (Green) Line overhead wire construction. Riders will experience delays where trains are operating on a single track between El Segundo and Redondo Beach Stations. Construction is anticipated through the end of May. Somewhat outdated information is available at The Source.
• Tuesday 3/12 - Parking vote postponed! At its 9 a.m. meeting at Board Hearing Room 381B in the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration at 500 West Temple Street in downtown L.A., the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is considering new parking requirements that would drive up the cost of new apartment housing. Streets for All is urging interested folks to attend the meeting and comment in favor of completely abolishing minimum parking mandates (as done in Culver City, Minneapolis, etc.) for all of unincorporated L.A. County. Details at SFA alert.
• Wednesday 3/13 - Metro recently extended the deadline for comments - and added two additional public meetings - for comments on its draft lower 710 Freeway widening plan. Metro's 710 CMIP (Corridor Mobility Improvement Plan) is a big improvement from earlier plans to widen while adding at least forty new lane-miles to the lower 710, but it still calls for adding around four new freeway lane-miles in Long Beach. Community groups and the area's County Supervisor Janice Hahn are calling for an ironclad Metro commitment to no residential demolitions. Learn about Metro's proposed widening plan, ask questions, and make comments at two meetings this week - and/or comment via email or by phone.
  • Wednesday 3/13 - in-person meeting from 6-8 p.m. at Paramount Elks Lodge at 8108 E. Alondra Boulevard
  • Wednesday 3/14 - 6-8 p.m. virtual meeting via Zoom

• Wednesday 3/13 and Saturday 3/16 - Metro and Caltrans will host two remaining meetings to receive input on potentially widening the 10 Freeway ostensibly to add toll lanes between El Monte and San Bernardino County. ActiveSGV is encouraging opposing freeway widening and advocating for transportation solutions that prioritize health and clean air. The interested public is invited to attend Metro's four project meetings this week and next. The full upcoming 10 Freeway ExpressLanes meeting schedule is at Metro's project page, and below:
  • Wednesday 3/13 - in-person meeting from 6-7:30 p.m. at Pomona High School cafeteria, at 475 Bangor Street
  • Saturday 3/16 - in-person meeting from 10-11:30 a.m. at Cortez Park Community and Senior Center at 2501 E. Cortez Street in West Covina
• Starting Thursday 3/14 - Metro will host two meetings to update the community about construction of the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit project adding light rail on Van Nuys Boulevard for 6.7 miles from the Metro G Line Van Nuys Station to San Fernando Rd. Information at the two meetings will be the same. Spanish translation will be provided.
  • Thursday 3/14 - in-person meeting 6-7:30 p.m. at Panorama Presbyterian Church  at 14201 Roscoe Boulevard in Panorama City
  • Thursday 3/21 - 6-7:30 p.m. virtual meeting via Zoom
• Saturday 3/16 - Celebrate Los Angeles Walks turning 25 at their annual Sidewalk Soirée event, starting at 5 p.m. at Silverlake Independent JCC at 1110 Bates Avenue in Silver Lake. Support L.A. walkability, hear from an impressive slate of awesome honorees, welcome the organization's new Executive Director Alex Ramirez, and bid farewell to outgoing ED John Yi. Full details and purchase tickets at L.A. Walks event page.

• Sunday 3/17 - From 1-5 p.m. CicLAvia and the L.A. City Transportation Department (LADOT) will host Ready for Reseda. The free family-friendly event will celebrate the recently completed three-mile long Reseda Boulevard Complete Streets Project which features bike/walk/transit upgrades, new sidewalk rain gardens, and more - on Reseda between Parthenia Street and Victory Boulevard (about a half-mile north of the G Line busway/bikeway Reseda Boulevard Station). The event is not a CicLAvia open streets festival; Reseda Boulevard will remain open to cars. Ready for Reseda will feature two activity hubs - at the north end of Reseda Park and at Reseda and Saticoy - with music, street games, bike rentals, group rides, free pedicab rides, food trucks, freebies, art workshops and more activities for all ages and abilities. Drop in from 1-5 p.m. on Reseda Boulevard. Details at CicLAvia event page.

Did we miss anything? Is there something we should list on future calendars? Email joe [at] streetsblog.org