The road diet is not the cause of cut-through traffic on Angus and other side streets
As the video below clearly shows, traffic on Hyperion and Griffith Park Blvd backs up past Scotland while Rowena is flowing free.
WAZE will continue to route cut-through traffic down Angus whether the road diet is in place or not. LADOT recommended rush hour turn restrictions on Angus to end the cut-through traffic. Why have they not been installed? Angus residents should live on a safe street - not a cut-through highway.
The purpose of the road diet was safety - not replacing car lanes with bike lanes
At the Rowena Town Hall on September 14, 2015, the lead engineer on the Rowena Road Diet, Tim Fremaux, stated:
"The bicycle lanes are just an after-effect of reconfiguring the roadway, so the goal ultimately was a safer street. That includes speeds, that includes the left-turn channelization, so having that left turn pocket, um, is one of the proven measures of safety in terms of reducing conflicts with left turn vehicles. And a safer crossing...crossing fewer lanes of traffic and having the refuge in the center. So, I think in general it was a safety improvement...they (bicycle lanes) were not the main piece of the project. They were icing on the cake...the (bicycle) lanes were a byproduct of having additional space."
Fellow LADOT engineer, Bhuvan Bajaj, added:
"It's a huge benefit to only have to travel across one active lane of traffic because when you're at the crosswalk looking down, you're only paying attention to one lane of traffic. If that first car stops, if you have a two lane (in one direction) road, as soon as you're crossing that first vehicle, someone behind that first car oftentimes goes around...when there's no left turn channelization people play leapfrog.
The bike lanes were "icing on the cake." Not the purpose. The purpose was increased safety for all of the residents of Silver Lake, including our kids. The data shows that the road diet has made Rowena safer.
The road diet was legally installed
Under state law AB2245, no Environmental Impact Report was necessary, but a traffic analysis was required. Transportation Engineer Tim Fremaux of LADOT confirmed that the required traffic analysis was completed. Seven years of public meetings, overwhelming community support, and the death of Ashley Sandau led to the legal installation of the road diet.
The road diet had seven years of public meetings
June 14, 2006
The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Urban & Design Committee Meeting Minutes show: "Request for an Environmental Impact Review for a Rowena Road Diet: Proposed Environmental Impact Review (EIR):"
“Tara Kolla asked for clarification about the scope of an EIR. Jason Lyon explained that it is a common practice when EIR is requested on a case-by- case basis but do serve to demonstrate the existence of a cumulative impact if there is one (for example, increased traffic on the Hyperion/Rowena/Glendale corridor). Tara and many others in attendance described the grave risk to pedestrians crossing Rowena at the Ivanhoe School and discussed possible traffic-calming measures including landscaped medians, additional traffic light and smart crosswalks. Committee members mentioned that the smart crosswalks in Glendale are not very efficient measure. The current practice shows that few months after their installation,the motorists are not observing them any more and it creates bigger danger for accidents.”
July 2006
Deborah Murphy, President of Deborah Murphy Design and Planning (and Executive Director of the non-profit advocacy group Los Angeles Walks) is hired in her capacity as a design professional by CD13 to look for safety, pedestrian, and livability improvements for 43 miles of streets around the Hollywood Community Plan. Rowena was one of many streets recommended for improvements.
July 20, 2006
Patricia Smith, an award winning landscape architect, gives a presentation on improving Rowena with ideas ranging from a landscaped median, bulb outs, improved lighting, street trees, burying power lines, to a road diet including bicycle lanes to a number of community leaders assembled at Silver Lake Community Church. She then repeated the presentation for other stakeholders on July 27, 2006 at Station 56.
May 21, 2010
The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Urban & Design Committee meeting minutes had this to say about Silver Lake resident Michael Grozkruger’s presentation for a Rowena Road Diet:
“The UD&PAC membership and all stakeholders in attendance expressed their overwhelming excitement and unconditional unanimous support for Mr. Groszkruger’s effort.”
March 20, 2011
Michael Grozkruger presents his plan for a road diet to the Friends of Ivanhoe Elementary School.
October 12, 2011
Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Urban Design & Preservation Advisory Committee meeting minutes:
"...Talked with the developer and the architect in length whether they can accommodate some commercial and a road diet on Rowena. They will possibly come to the UD&PAC next month (November 9).”
December 13, 2011
According to The Eastsider article, "Silver Lake 'road diet' would trim traffic lanes instead of carbs," Councilman LaBonge ordered the city to undertake a Rowena Road Diet Study. The Eastsider is one of the principal news outlets covering local Silver Lake news.
December 14, 2011
Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Urban Design & Preservation Advisory Committee meeting minutes:
“UD&PAC has been collaborating with community members on proposal for a road diet along Rowena Avenue, reducing the road to two lanes, discourage use of residential streets as highways, and, where feasible, include medians. Tom La Bonge’s office is considering exploring further the proposal.”
December 16, 2011
Councilman for CD 4, Tom Labonge, presents a motion to the LA City Council Transportation Committee that reads as follows, "there have been community discussions including the SLNC and a notion about how roads should be designed in order to encourage greater safety and sense of community..." The motion calls for the LADOT and Planning Department to report on a "road diet."
December 22, 2011
The Eastsider reports the motion in an article titled, "Councilman Orders Study of Rowena."
March 30, 2012
April 6, 2012
The Echo Park Patch writes an article titled: "CD4 to Set Up Meeting on Silver Lake Pedestrian Safety"
Monday April 30, 2012
Tom Labonge's office, along with representatives of city departments, held a Rowena Avenue Traffic Safety Community Meeting at Ivanhoe Elementary following Ashley Sandau's death. Long term improvements included a proposed "road diet" on Rowena Avenue.
October 3, 2012
Governing board of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council hears a motion for enhancing public safety near Ivanhoe.
"Lastly this motion should be seen as being respectful and supportive of the pedestrian-friendly, traffic-slowing goals and efforts associated with a proposed Road Diet for that area." There is no record on the SLNC website on whether the motion passed, but it was on the agenda.
March 12, 2013
The Eastsider reports the opening of the road diet which had been completed overnight.