1 David Yakobson
From: Dustin Shahan <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:43 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support 16E
EXTERNAL
Good morning,
I cannot express enough enthusiasm for Item 16E! Effectively connecting public transportation options to the surrounding area is critical to alleviating traffic, improving ridership, lowering emissions, and reducing traffic violence. Extending our neighbors' existing bus lanes is an absolute slam dunk for the entire region and the SM Blvd Safety Study is a perfect opportunity to implement it.
Keep it up!
Dustin Shahan
90401
Item 16-E
February 25, 2025
Item 16-E
February 25, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Caro Vilain <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2025 3:54 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: I support item 16E
EXTERNAL
Dear council,
I strongly support item 16E.
Studying the implementation of bus lanes on Santa Monica Blvd seems like a no-brainer.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of arguments for it, in addition to the WSCCOG recent announcement:
- The average bus speed is low on there, despite the fact that it is used by major bus lines (BBB 1 and Metro 4). Line 1 is one of the busiest BBB lines.
- It’s incredibly wide for most of its length. There’s rarely congestion on most of it, so it makes it really easy for drivers to speed, drive mindlessly, and ignore pedestrians trying to cross on there to attend any of the businesses, restaurants, hospitals and other healthcare facilities,… which explains why it’s on our priority/high injury network. Bringing it down to 1 general traffic lane in each direction would help limit speeding and other forms of reckless driving. Yes, some drivers might feel inconvenienced at first, as they often do when road space is given back to other modes, but it’ll make them safer and give them more options than driving.
- While bus lanes would likely lead to “loss” of some parking on SM Blvd itself, quite a few of the residential perpendicular streets that intersect with it are insanely wide and could really use some angled parking. That would allow for more parking spots AND traffic calming all at once (people tend to really speed on these blocks, just because the width calls for it…). - With 2 major hospitals and multiple fire/ambulance stations nearby, it would make for a good place for emergency lanes, which is another use for bus lanes. - Once the D Line is extended to Westwood, we’ll need a good connection to it, and that opportunity seems to have been missed with the Wilshire safety study. But with the ridership on the BBB 1, it’s possible SM Blvd actually makes even more sense than Wilshire in some ways. We should also definitely have some good East-West bus lanes by the Olympics so we don’t look like fools. - As active mobility keeps growing in the city, the protected bike lanes on Broadway will be great, but too narrow for a wide variety of users to use them regularly. For instance, people riding e-bikes will quickly get tired of riding at 6mph behind newer riders on non-electric bikes, so they should have a safe alternative. Bus and bike lanes are a great opportunity for that, and the current headways would be appropriate for bus and bike lanes (longer than 4min).
Item 16-E
February 25, 2025
Item 16-E
February 25, 2025
2 - Speaking of headways, they’ll need to improve as new housing gets built, and efficient bus infrastructure allows for faster trips, leading to more frequent without the need for more buses or operators. Bus lanes are a cheap and efficient way to improve headways and reliability. And while frequency is essential, reliability is also huge for encouraging and maintaining transit ridership. - CalTrans will soon be implementing its bus lanes from Centinela to the 405, and LA’s mobility plan calls for bus lanes East of the 405. It’d be a shame if those disappeared once you arrive in Santa Monica.
Thank you for this item!
Caro Vilain, 90404
Item 16-E
February 25, 2025
Item 16-E
February 25, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Jacob Wasserman <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2025 1:23 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Council Mailbox
Cc: Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Natalya Zernitskaya; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; [email protected]
Subject: In Support: Item 16E
EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
As a voter, resident, parent, driver, and transit rider (including on BBB Route 1 on Santa Monica Boulevard), I support improved bus infrastructure and bus rapid proposals across the City and on Santa Monica Boulevard in particular.
Jacob Wasserman
11th and Washington
90403
Item 16-E
February 25, 2025
Item 16-E
February 25, 2025