About 50 or so community leader’s turnout at Oakwood Rec Center to talk traffic and transit frequency, reliability.
By Nick Antonicello
Caltrans came to Venice Wednesday evening on a listening tour as they are pitching the notion of extending bus lanes.
Led by Karen Herrera, the “meet and greet” was held at the Oakwood Recreation Center as several representatives of Caltrans fielded questions from community leaders and other interested parties.
Surveys were made available to those in attendance and three basic options were considered to enhance “transit frequency and reliability through the potential extension of peak hour bus lanes along Lincoln Boulevard to West Manchester, or about 3.1 miles.”
The objective is to maximize the use of the existing right-of-way to reduce congestion and service those parties that rely on public transportation.
While the actual cost of the project or timeline is premature, the notion of bus lane expansion was met with a varying opinion.
One factor is the current ridership volume of these buses, as some say these transit vehicles are, for the most part, empty. For some, will more bus lanes encourage new riders, or will it create even more traffic during peak travel hours?
For the most part, those in attendance had an open mind and were not necessarily supportive or against what was being proposed at this time.
For now, this was more about listening and considering if such a plan makes sense for Venice.
Brennan Lawson and Richard Stanger pictured above, were both elected as new members of the Venice Neighborhood Council, were open to any ideas or proposals that would improve commuting along Lincoln Boulevard less stressful for all concerned.
Also in attendance was Sean Silva, the Venice Deputy for Councilwoman Traci Park (CD-11), as well as Robert Thibodeau, a local architect and Chairman of the Transportation & Parking Committee of the VNC. Other board members in attendance were Yolanda Gonzalez and Lisa Redmond.
The deadline to participate in this survey is May 7th, and for more information, contact Caltrans by emailing karen.herrera@dot.ca.gov
Nick Antonicello is a thirty-two-year-resident of the neighborhood and covers all things Venice. Have a take or a tip? Contact him via email at nantoni@mindspring.com
