By T.A. Hendrickson
Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León has called on Metro to delay moving forward with its proposal for a bus rapid transit (BRT) route in Eagle Rock that would reduce much of Colorado Boulevard to one car lane each way.
In a letter posted on social media and provided to the Boulevard Sentinel, De León said a delay was needed because Metro had pushed ahead with the one-car-lane-each-way proposal without presenting a full picture of the plan to Eagle Rockers and adequately soliciting their feedback.
De León also wrote that Metro needed to take the time to develop a route option for Colorado Boulevard that attempts to preserve two car lanes each way and safe bike lanes, without eliminating the medians and curb extensions. Metro should then hold public meetings where both the one-car-lane proposal and the two-car-lane proposal are presented so that Eagle Rockers can weigh the options and provide feedback, he wrote, adding: “I firmly oppose moving forward with an alternative for Colorado until Metro has held the aforementioned meetings.”
The Metro Board was expected to take up the one-car-lane-each-way proposal at its next meeting on May 27, so De León’s call for a delay, if honored by Metro, would push any decision on the Eagle Rock BRT route into the summer, at the earliest.
The route through Eagle Rock is one stretch of a proposed BRT line between North Hollywood and Pasadena and, arguably, the most controversial segment of the entire project. Metro has had to rethink and revamp its approach to Eagle Rock and Eagle Rockers before. It now appears it may have to do so again. “If it adds time, it adds time,” said Pete Brown, a spokesperson for De León. “We would rather do it right.”
This is a developing story. More details will be added as they become available.
Correction (May 18: 8:50 a.m.) Kevin de León’s letter calling on Metro to delay consideration of one-car-lane-each way on Colorado Boulevard has not been posted on his social media, as was reported in this story. When De Leon provided the letter to the Boulevard Sentinel on May 13, his spokesperson, Pete Brown, said it would be posted on De Leon’s social media, but that has not taken place as of the posting of this correction.
Update: (May 18: 10:50 a.m.) The letter was posted on Kevin de León’s Facebook page at 10:34 a.m.
T.A. Hendrickson, a native of Eagle Rock, is the editor of the Boulevard Sentinel and a former member of the Editorial Board of the New York Times.
With the tsunami of infrastructure funding coming from “progressive” Washington, how about a hop-on, hop-off trolley system for the NELA area? There must be a way to engineer it with only one, narrow trolley track preserving the four-lane roadway. With no money worries, let’s become aggressive and creative.
Thank you, Council member de León for taking the time to more thoroughly review the many problems which would result from the poorly thought out proposal to narrow traffic on Colorado Boulevard to one car lane each way. Metro needs to slow down and consider better alternatives.
Thanks for the update, this is mighty good news. The Sentinel has been doing an excellent job on keeping us apprised of developments, putting out the facts without a partisan filter. We all are much obliged.
Your one-sided reporting is shameful and indicative of the limited socioeconomic demographic you necessarily must pander to. This rag, like de Leon, claim there were no meetings? Funny, I attended several. All were well attended and had robust discussions. Don’t think I recall anyone from this website reporting on those.
i attended those meetings at the recreation center. ER residents and i left very frustrated because it was a PR event cheerleading bus only lanes and new trees. there was no way to speak into a microphone to voice our opinion, no comment cards, no way to talk to MTA people. Even the “facilitator” at our round table didnt work for MTA and didnt have answers or any interest in noting our opinion. when i told an MTA employee that colorado blvd moves at 35 mph all day, no need for bus only lane he told me its already been decided. i said, there has never been a traffic study done.
I agree with Jeff Hendrickson. We have the time and we have the funds. Let’s do something more appealing to the community as a whole, not just for Metro and a few scattering of bus riders. When did it become a crime to maintain Eagle Rock’s quaintness and a sin to preserve it’s appeal?
Speeding cars on a wide multilane arterial does not make for a quaint appealing community.
i drive it every day. cars and buses move at 30-35 mph all day. a brt bus in a red painted bus only lane will not move any faster than if the bus was in normal lanes. Eagle Rock welcomes the BRT, but in normal free
flowing traffic, not bus only lane, leaving residents one lane, merging, no left turns, no parallel parking without causing gridlock. Buses move fast and freely now, just drive the BRT bus up the street.
Same here, on rare occurrences have I seen anyone speed down that thoroughfare. There are a lot of residents who use it to shop for groceries such as Target, Sprouts, Trader Joes and Vons. I used to commute from Eagle Rock to Downtown during 2013 and in San Fernando, and I’ve seen the boulevard at it’s worst with congestion.
I personally wouldn’t mind seeing Colorado Blvd reduced to one lane in each direction between ER Blvd and Linda Rosa. York Blvd is a good example of a very vibrant and pedestrian-friendly street, but there’s more public parking on either side of it in a few well-located lots than exists near Colorado. I respect de Leon for calling attention to the controversy the proposal has generated and slowing the process down. Up to now he’s had very little to say publicly about Eagle Rock, so it’s somewhat reassuring that he even cares enough to take this stand.
PLEASE raise my taxes.
Thank you Kevin de Leon! at the very least rhere needs to be a traffic study with cones laid out where 2 lanes merge to 1 for local residents, also demonstrate if the bus is actually faster in a bus-only lane. This rediculous Beautiful Boulevard design has BRY dropping passengers off in center median, will all the other bus lines drop off on the right at normal bus stops? Will residents be able to turn left across a bus only lane to get to their homes or schools?
So many questions,. there needs to be a traffic study and honest answers for eagle rock residents.
Use 134
Spruce things up on Colorado, without a very unnecessary bus intrusion.
One lane is ludicrous for cars, look at how the recent construction on driveway skirts and sidewalks, clogged traffic.
Get flyers and/or unbiased pamphlets out to residents. The majority of stakeholders do not want this ridiculous, greed motivated, folly, to hobble local traffic throughout Eaglerock’s neighborhoods.
Sensible use of 134 still on table.
Hello Pensamientos Sano,
Here is a link to a website based on this current issue. We try to discuss things from a neutral standpoint, picking out both the benefits and flaws of the Beautiful Boulevard Proposal. There have been many sites and blogs that stand in support of the proposal while shutting down any attempts for fair scrutiny. Please spread the word on our website, we would appreciate it.
Thank you.
Please visit the link https://www.ercoloradonow.com/
Support transparency, as apparently “ER Colorado NOW” champions
Please click the Link below and sign the petition to put the breaks on this seemingly underhanded process of METRO AND IT’s backers!
Please sign and press submit
Share with all EagleRock Stakeholders, residents, people who work here and attend Churches are considered Stakeholders!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSdBNNAntfNemlUDffpItK3462zCRjAXkgs6kliq46Ce6LEw/viewform
Support transparency, as apparently “ER Colorado NOW” champions
Please click the Link below and sign the petition to put the brakes on this seemingly underhanded process of METRO AND IT’s backers!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSdBNNAntfNemlUDffpItK3462zCRjAXkgs6kliq46Ce6LEw/viewform
Agree, though 134 is best, sensible choice, plenty of buses and Dash already service Colorado and surrounds. Very glad, glad to see Kevin De León acknowledging the wishes of his constituent stakeholders.
De Leon has finally shown some gumption on behalf of our community. Thank you, councilman! For those Who don’t know, the city is now going to make permanent those restaurant patios that use the parking lane for their dining. With that happening, we really cannot have metro barrel us through this process. The world and the streetscape has changed since Covid. The metro plan is now out of date and inappropriate. A whole new traffic study and evaluation of our restaurant scene should be done before Metro moves forward. I walk a lot in our neighborhood, including on Colorado and frequently crossing at the many traffic lights available. It is not used as a freeway alternate route. The 134 is never clogged, and anyone who wants to get from Glendale or further west to Pasadena or further east just stays on the freeway. They are not using our Main Street, Colorado Boulevard, as an alternate to freeways. We have a very walkable community as it is.
Folks sign the petition in link below, this is echoing Councilman Kevin De León’s stance on METRO’s less than transparent handling of this.
Now, I’ll address the very Ernest “ER Colorado NEVER”
Hi “ER Colorado NOW”
Your Links speak loads, of your “neutral standpoint” LOL, get that sheep skin off, you ain’t fooling anyone!
Here is a Helpful Petition demanding transparency in this boondoggle. Let’s give the Majority of EagleRock stakeholders a chance to voice their opinions and be heard.
“Beautify the Boulevard” can certainly be instituted without screwing up the whole community for a senseless Express bus.
People are foolishly expecting an Americana on Brand, oh how mislead they have been!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSdBNNAntfNemlUDffpItK3462zCRjAXkgs6kliq46Ce6LEw/viewform
NOTE FROM T.A. HENDRICKSON, EDITOR OF THE BOULEVARD SENTINEL: MARK ARNOTT, THE OWNER OF KENPO KARATE ON COLORADO BOULEVARD, DID NOT SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING POST. IT WAS SUBMITTED BY SOMEONE CLAIMING TO BE MARK ARNOTT AND EXPRESSING VIEWS THAT ARE NOT THOSE OF MR. ARNOTT. PLEASE ALSO NOTE: THE COMPUTER THAT WAS USED TO MAKE THE POST THAT MISAPPROPRIATED MR. ARNOTT’S NAME WAS ALSO USED IN ANOTHER POST FALSELY CLAIMING TO BE LONGTIME EAGLE ROCK RESIDENT TOM KRUMAL AND EXPRESSING VIEWS THAT ARE NOT THOSE OF MR. KRUMAL. BOTH ARNOTT AND KRUMAL HAVE TOLD THE SENTINEL THEY ARE OPPOSED TO THE ONE-CAR-LANE-EACH-WAY PROPOSAL FOR COLORADO BOULEVARD. HERE IS THE FRAUDULENT POST:
Thanks for the update, this is mighty biased reporting. The Sentinel has been doing an excellent job on keeping us apprised of developments, putting out misstated facts with a partisan filter. We all are much obliged.
Someone is apparently posting on this site using my name. That post from 5/22 is not me and I’d much appreciate you remove it, and hopefully find out who posted it and how. On 5/14 I sent you a note thanking you for the unbiased, fair and helpful work you’ve done on the BRT. This note from 5/22 has copied my original note, twisting it to serve their political ends (they ‘twisted the truth I’ve spoken to make a trap for fools.’) Can you find out who posted this, and let us all know?
Having someone put up fake notices in one’s name is right unsettling, and pretty yucky. That they did it to both me and Mr. Kumal, and further pretended that Mr. Kumal was the troll is a particularly greasy stain of yuck. The response of the Sentinel, and the opportunity to watch Ms Teresa at work tracking down the fake i.p. addresses and sorting out the story was totally cool. As is Ms Teresa, totally cool. I’m going back to my original (and honestly from me) post – we all are much obliged to have a paper like this, and a reporter like her working for our neighborhood.