Standing Mobility Subcommittee
March 30, 2023

1 OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE CULVER CITY MOBILITY, TRAFFIC, AND PARKING SUBCOMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE March 30, 2023 CULVER CITY MOBILITY, 6:00 p.m. TRAFFIC, AND PARKING SUBCOMMITTEE CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA Call to Order & Roll Call Council Member Eriksson called the special meeting of the Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee to order at 3:01 p.m. in the Dan Patacchia Meeting Room at City Hall Present: Göran Eriksson, Council Member Freddy Puza, Council Member Staff Present: Yanni Demetri, Public Works Director Mark E. Muenzer, Planning and Development Director (virtual) Diana Chang, Chief Transportation Officer Andrew Maximous, Mobility and Traffic Engineering Manager Erika Ramirez, Current Planning Manager Gabriela Silva, Associate Planner Alicia Ide, Management Analyst Andrea Fleck, Planning Technician Kate Saunders-Britton, Transportation Administrative Secretary o0o Pledge of Allegiance Diana Chang, Chief Transportation Officer, led the Pledge of Allegiance. o0o Items from Members/Staff Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 2 Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, indicated that staff would make their comments at the end of the meeting. o0o Public Comment - Items Not on the Agenda Melissa Sanders discussed a meeting about stop signs on Elenda; ensuring that everyone understands the issues; concern about things going forward without public outreach or best practices; lack of available data; non-specific dates and times; ensuring that things are looked at as a whole; the importance of including the School District in the discussion; the School District as a big problem in the City; the number of students in the City; students permitted in from other areas; the need for the School District to be involved in the safety of the children; drop off zones; public outreach; examination of overall need; she did not want to see the bare minimum done; but she noted the importance of best practices and involving the community in decisions that affect them. David Coles welcomed Council Member Puza to the Committee and congratulated Diana Chang on her promotion; requested that the Committee agendize consideration of placing a signalized crosswalk at Culver and Ince on the west side crossing Culver; reported communication with Council Member O’Brien and the Public Works Director; discussed the missing bike lane on Jefferson east of Duquesne; intermittent closure of the Ballona Creek Bike Path; the need for a protective bike lanes; and he felt that existing striping should be maintained better. Marci Baun observed a lack of discussion with the surrounding community regarding the request for stop signs on Elenda; noted repeated requests for traffic amelioration from the School District; discussed the fact that people run the stop signs; use of crossing guards and/or police to ensure that people pay attention to traffic laws rather than forcing something on the community; and anger caused by backups. Thomas Ashley was called to speak but indicated being an observer. o0o Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 3 Receive and File Correspondence Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, reported that two pieces of correspondence had been distributed to Subcommittee Members and that copies were available. MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ERIKSSON, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER PUZA AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE MOBILTY, TRAFFIC, AND PARKING SUBCOMMITTEE RECEIVE AND FILE CORRESPONDENCE. o0o Consent Calendar Items Item C-1 Approval of Minutes for the Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee Special Meeting of October 25, 2022 MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER PUZA, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ERIKSSON AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE MOBILITY, TRAFFIC, AND PARKING SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 25, 2022. o0o Order of the Agenda No changes were made. o0o Action Items Item A-1 (1) Receive and Discuss a Presentation Summarizing Prior Parking Maximum Discussions; and (2) Direction to Staff Gabriela Silva, Associate Planner introduced item. Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the sustainability issue; the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Report; the climate crisis; recommendations to reduce dependency on singular vehicle trips and Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT); perpetuating car culture by increasing opportunities for Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 4 cars; acknowledgement that Culver City cannot solve the climate crisis alone; shifting behaviors with policy decisions; clarification that cars would not be prohibited, but the way cities are designed needed to change; appreciation for policies that came before; new data to make decisions from; affects to future parking; affordable housing; Livable Communities Initiative (LCI); costs per parking spot; turning parking minimums into maximums; the actions of Apple; enabling practical projects for large corporations; concerns about development; allowing a discretionary process for flexibility; the science behind the process; changing numbers; focusing on transportation issues; the need to provide realistic transportation alternatives on the west side; improving safety and frequency of transportation to create a truly viable alternative; the feeling that bicycling alone would not solve the problem; the importance of focusing efforts on a well-designed and functioning public transportation system; the feeling that parking minimums should not be changed; City Council direction; developer discussion; and clarification that additional information was not requested from staff at this time. Council Member Eriksson invited public comment. The following members of the public addressed the Subcommittee: David Coles was pleased by comments from Council Member Eriksson in support of a robust Public Transportation system; expressed appreciation for the removal of parking minimums; discussed free market myths; areas where letting the free market determine the right amount of parking does not produce positive outcomes; the usefulness of government intervention; clarification that the development community is not paying the costs, rather society has been responsible for the costs of the impacts of cars; the appropriateness of government intervention; and the overproduced parking at the Ivy Station. Council Member Eriksson asserted that he had been championing Public Transportation since 2016 and continued to look at improving and increasing it. Stephen Jones stated that parking maximums were about reducing the growth of parking supply; discussed alternative strategies for reducing parking demand; demand management; the amount of building in the City; the feeling that Traffic Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 5 Demand Management (TDM) was no match for the amount of parking that is going to be built; increased emissions and VMT with new development unless the growth of the parking supply is limited; and parking maximums as increasing the price of parking and making the cost of parking more clear. Marci Baun discussed concern with making parking more expensive and therefore making the City unaffordable to live and work in; agreement that a more robust traffic system is necessary; ensuring that it is safe to ride public transit; the inability to control the safety of transit in Los Angeles; Culver City as a destination; the need for parking for those who come to visit; drawing business to the City; and who is being hurt by making parking unaffordable. Ken Mand felt that parking maximums should be tied to more robust TDM components; discussed regional mobility; and he proposed including information on the effects of parking maximums on viability of project financing as part of the analysis. Bubba Fish expressed concern with the characterization of someone who opposed implementation MOVE Culver City in the downtown area as a public transportation champion; discussed implementation of parking maximums in many other cities across the country; the future of parking policy in local government; allowing large companies to dictate parking needs as resulting in the creation of a surplus of parking; sustainability; housing costs; the heavily studied policy area; equity; predominantly very low-income riders on Culver City buses; concern with the negative characterization of the Culver City transit system; average median income in the City; and a study indicating that surplus parking makes it easier to drive which reduces transit ridership. Kevin Lachoff, former Planning Commissioner, felt that removing minimums was a terrible loss of a planning tool that allows the ability to leverage development for different outcomes; discussed the value of parking; parking as a practical reality for tenants, employees, and customers; unleasable spaces that have little or no parking; parking at the Ivy Station; support for allowing the market to direct parking; the feeling that developers are only going to build what tenants need; outreach; and the importance of involving the development community in the process. Melissa Sanders provided background on herself; expressed Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 6 support for more effective public transportation throughout the county; discussed specified places where parking is limited; proximity to easy, mass transit; opportunities to repurpose commercial spaces that already have parking for affordable housing; concern with blanket concepts; and she reported agreement expressed at an LCI meeting that parking is still an important part of the capitalist society. o0o Item A-2 Receive a Presentation Regarding the Status of the MOVE Culver City - Downtown Tactical Mobility Lane Project; and (2) Provide Direction to Staff Diana Chang, Chief Transportation Officer, provided a summary of the material of record. Joe Iacobucci, Sam Schwartz, discussed preliminary findings from the evaluation of MOVE Culver City; the post-pilot analysis; sustainable transportation data; circulator boardings; CityBus ridership; challenges with driver shortages; pedestrian activity; cycling activity; vehicular data; and the off-street parking analysis. Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding combined data for bus ridership; the perception of how long things take vs. the reality of the data; traffic volume triggers; length of time for a project to mature; people who are still returning to work post-pandemic; concerns expressed regarding data; use of industry standard sources for data; and availability of the report. Council Member Eriksson invited public input. The following members of the public addressed the Subcommittee: Lori Horn discussed her experience driving in the City; people using the bus/bike lane to bypass traffic; and she felt like MOVE Culver City was not working. David Coles expressed appreciation for the presentation and support for the project; discussed trends; evolution of the project; improvements; changes occurring around the project; appreciation to staff for incorporating suggestions; removal Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 7 of the advertising wrapper around the Circulator; the large number of people who still do not know about the Circulator; extending the route; making sure that the vehicle is lit up at night so that it is clear it is in service; and support for continued adjustments to allow the program to grow. Melissa Sanders expressed concerns about the consultant; she indicated that she had never seen a cyclist using the lane; expressed support for efficiency and the environment; discussed concern with the installation of a project that goes against traffic regulations; origin of the data; personal experience being stuck in traffic; inefficient implementation; the great idea that was poorly implemented and in the wrong location; better things to spend money on; reality vs. data; cut-through traffic; deteriorating bus ramps; the bollards as fake safety; the paint; difficulty of turns; the scary driving situation; comparing 2021 to 2022; she questioned when the monitoring took place; and she wished that the program worked, but she felt that it didn’t. Stephen Jones was pleased to see the results that reflected his experience with the project; expressed appreciation for the care taken to collect the data; discussed perception vs. data; the number of people served by Culver City Bus Line #1; people without access to a car; people living beneath the poverty line; clarification that most of the users of MOVE Culver City are bus riders and people who do not show up to community meetings or submit public comment; polls targeted to residents rather than to users of the project; outlets to get feedback systematically designed to keep people out; people who benefit from the project; and the opportunity to provide additional benefit. Ken Mand echoed comments from Travis Morgan made at the last City Council meeting; he discussed traffic in 2019; data showing improvements to alternatives; creating behaviors to get people out of cars; investments in mobility throughout Los Angeles and California; grant money; continuing to build on what has started; polling results in support of keeping MOVE Culver City in some form but with changes; room for improvement; making smart, tactical changes; and the importance of not going backwards but looking toward the future and what is best for the City in the long run. Marci Baun expressed agreement with comments made by Melissa Sanders; support for downtown businesses; she indicated Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 8 avoiding the area due to traffic; reported seeing very few cyclists; discussed her experiences being stuck in traffic downtown; cyclists on the sidewalk; cars speeding through the bus lane; concern with hitting cyclists when making turns; people driving over the bollards due to confusion; she reported witnessing many near misses; and noted changes to driving behavior in response to MOVE Culver City. Karim Sahli received clarification on the experience of the Transportation Director; questioned what was learned about induced traffic; received clarification that adding one more lane to the current situation would create more capacity and more traffic; discussed the experience of Texas in adding capacity; the climate crisis; oil companies; being a leader in the City; bringing back cars; and climate denial. Bryan Sanders discussed data on the MOVE Culver City website; public records requests; Sam Schwartz Consultants; concern that reports have not been produced in a timely fashion; lack of a complete data picture that has been paid for; missing information; the raw data; educated people in the City who want to be involved and come up with their own analysis and ask informed questions; late or incomplete reports; the pilot program that is supposed to be adjustable on the fly; he wanted to see a report on “tweaks” to the project; and he felt that the project looked terrible. Eric Shabsis discussed the importance of history; comments regarding returning streets to people; Town Plaza; lack of data due to the absence of pedestrians crossing at Culver and Main before 2020; Culver Studios; cut through cars on Washington; encouraging people to use Venice as a regional connecting street; elimination of a lane of traffic by Los Angeles; reevaluating MOVE Culver; the pandemic; the difficulty of patronizing downtown businesses with the removal of on-street parking; and issues to consider as part of the analysis. Phillip Lelyveld expressed appreciation for the professional presentation; discussed the accuracy of phone-based GPS; margin of error; garage data; consideration of which direction the cars pull into the garage; impacts to traffic; disconnect between garage numbers and traffic numbers; and changes to Venice by Los Angeles. Maria Jacobo, Culver City Chamber of Commerce, felt that MOVE Culver City was a mess; discussed exclusivity; keeping people Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 9 away from the downtown area; effects to businesses; the obstacle course that must be navigated to get to the Trader Joe’s; wasted time, energy, and money on the project that is not improving their lives; concern for small businesses downtown; she found the project visually displeasing; indicated that she did not go downtown anymore because it was difficult; and she wanted to see better design aesthetics. Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the IPCC Report; working to be part of the solution to the climate crisis; concern with opening up Main Street to cars again and creating more opportunities for cars; VMT; the need for a sophisticated transportation network for the Olympics; the pilot program; the goal of getting everyone to eliminate one car trip; making the transition as easy as possible; the psychology of change; optical illusions; aesthetics; the survey; perceptions; setting policy; additional data points; income; sales tax in the downtown area; increasing a lane of traffic as increasing VMT and pedestrian and cyclist deaths; survey feedback; recommended changes; support for continuing the project with adjustments; improved communication with the public; the website; and whether removal of components would be subject to an EIR (Environmental Impact Report) or subject the City to a lawsuit. Further discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding generation of less greenhouse gases in the City with the opening of Main Street; cars that travel from Venice down Main Street into the parking structure rather than getting stuck and idling; City Council consideration of the MOVE project on April 24; information on the project website regarding collected and audited data; methodology; and consistency with industry practice and standards. o0o Public Comment for Items NOT on the Agenda Council Member Eriksson invited public participation. Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, reported no requests to speak. o0o Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee March 30 , 2023 10 Items from Staff/Subcommittee Members Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the date for the next meeting. o0o