Colorado/Eagle Rock Transition to one travel lane | Metro Presentation

Lane reductions on Colorado Boulevard to be voted on Wednesday in key Metro Board committee

2022 April Editions Politics
By T.A. Hendrickson

The Metro proposal to reduce much of Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock to one traffic lane each way will come up for a vote on Wednesday, April 20 in the Planning and Programming Committee of the Metro Board of Directors. The committee vote will be followed next week by a vote on the proposal by the full Metro Board, scheduled for Thursday, April 28.

The one-lane proposal for Colorado Boulevard is part of Metro’s plan for a bus rapid transit (BRT) line connecting North Hollywood and Pasadena. The lane reductions would make room on the boulevard for dedicated BRT lanes, enhanced bike lanes and the medians. The single vehicle lane in each direction would also accommodate non-BRT buses. 

Here is the information for participating in the meeting of the Planning and Programming Committee:

Planning and Programming Committee meeting

Wednesday, April 20, 2022, starting at 10:30am
Watch Online: http://boardagendas.metro.net 
Listen by phone: 888.251.2949 and enter access code: 8231160# (English) or 4544724# (Español)

Public comment will be taken as the Board takes up each item on the agenda. To give public comment on an item, enter #2 when prompted. (Please note that the live video feed lags about 30 seconds behind the actual meeting. There is no lag on the public comment dial-in line.)

Or

Email your comments by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19 to boardclerk@metro.net Note the meeting name (Planning and Programming Committee), meeting date (April 20, 2022) and agenda number or item (#8) on your email comment.

Make sure your email includes the meeting name (Planning and Programming Committee), meeting date (April 20, 2022), and agenda number or item (#8). Also state your position of “FOR,” “AGAINST,” “GENERAL COMMENT,” or “ITEM NEEDS MORE CONSIDERATION.”

Here is the agenda for the Planning and Programming Committee meeting.

You can view the Final Environmental Impact Report on the project metro.net/nohopasbrt under the Documents section. You can view Metro’s  FAQs  on the project website under the Documents section as well, including questions and answers about the Eagle Rock route configuration.

Here is the information to mark your calendar for the Regular Metro Board meeting on Thursday, April 28: 

Regular Metro Board Meeting

Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 10:00am
Watch Online: http://boardagendas.metro.net 
Listen by phone: 888.251.2949
Extension: 8231160# (English) or 4544724# (Español)

 

Tagged
T.A. Hendrickson
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.
https://boulevardsentinel.com

28 thoughts on “Lane reductions on Colorado Boulevard to be voted on Wednesday in key Metro Board committee

  1. Gulp! I can tell you, if it’s reached the point of having such a fully-drawn depiction (as shown, the intersection of Colorado & Eagle Rock Boulevards), any “citizen input” will be pro-forma at best, and they’ll be voting to shove this down our throats within the next 2 weeks — whether we like it or not. Unless someone can provide hard evidence of collusion or other criminal behavior in this process, it’s what’s known as a fait accompli, or in English, a “done deal”, and the council votes are mere window dressing.
    They’ve persuaded themselves that they MUST have this routing, the citizenry be damned, so so by heck, there it shall be, despite the fact that the whole street will turn into a morass (during rush hours) once they accomplish this “improvement”. The minimal savings to the travel times of their precious bus route will do virtually nothing to improve ridership on the route, or make a big improvement in travel times. For Pete’s sake, they’re already operating some of the “Rapid” buses down the street, without all this “improvement”, and after it’s all done (to the inconvenience of thousands!), the time saving will be (I’ll predict) about 2 minutes — to an infintesimal number of riders. Way to go, Metro! (By the way, I wonder if they see any of the reporting about ongoing increases in the number of assaults & other criminal behavior on their trains and buses? Maybe that could be one reason people don’t particularly prefer to get on them anymore! Will this failure of a project help any of that problem? I’m just asking …
    Another instance of “we know better than the residents, and the public be damned”. It’s illustrative of why confidence in government is lower than ever these days, as well as their implementing their “social engineering” on us, despite it demonstrably (and unnecessarily) degrading our daily lives while “they” continue to wreak havoc on us for how “they” think things oughta be.
    I guess I won’t be patronizing many of the hoity-toity shops along Colorado any more. I’m too old to bike there, plus the congestion will be so off-putting it’ll be no fun. Guess I’ll have to try some more places along Fig., over there in Highland Park. Hasta La Vista, Eagle Rock!

    1. You could always shop on York, where similar traffic calming measures to those proposed for Colorado have led to a thriving business community and walkable streets. I take since you’re against this measure you consider your discomfort more important than preventing the deaths of pedestrians? Or do They not “count” to “You” Because they r not driving “cars”?

      1. Hmmm, How many predestrians have died or been injured in traffic accidents on Colorado Blvd? Just asking because I have no idea. (not including jay-walkers)

      2. Colorado has 3x the traffic as York, and 4 current Metro bus lines, this is not a good comparison. Also the BRT F1 design blocks off the fire station and blocks off Trader Joe’s delivery trucks the driveway to the loading dock. Could you please have a little consideration for others?

      3. Bike lanes do not stop drunk drivers from killing bicyclists. Taking away car lanes in this high traffic area will cause more traffic congestion. That makes it more dangerous for everyone. This is absolutely insane to take away car lanes. Where is mayor Candidate Kevin De Leon??

        1. Perpetual candidate and political ladder-climber De Leon came out in favor of this. No surprise.

          1. It doesn’t matter if they are gas or electric vehicles or the Flintstones. the bottleneck will be the same. this will only create traffic chaos. It will also be a reason for aggressive drivers, less respect for traffic signals and pedestrians. think for a moment, from Glendale there are 5 lanes and from Pasadena there are three lanes and two freeway exits. There are also three lanes from Eagle Rock Blvd. three lanes from figueroa St. all this coming to Colorado blvd single lane. This will affect local businesses, because no one will try to park their car in such a place.

      4. Lisa. When was the last time you drove fig or York Blvd? York is 1 lane with bus. Try doing so at 8am. Then 3pm. Then 5pm
        Really dont care about your trader Joe’s they have been a royal traffic issue with alot of accidents.

      5. Btw you should look up how many ppl walking are robbed or threathen by homeless n drug pushers. This paper only covers what it is ask 2 cover. N kids have no business playing on Colorado
        But no worries the town will b gone soon business hopefully sueing the city n metro.

  2. Planning and Programming Committee, (April 20, 2022), #8. AGAINST!!
    The obsession with limiting cars on streets that taxpayers paid for, and pay to maintain is extremely frustrating. Residents should be able to get from point A to B without moving to side streets and turning those streets into exactly what Colorado was meant for. This is happening in Pasadena and it is a disaster. Restaurants are still taking full lanes. Street parking on Colorado is being changed to diagonal parking which causes backups as drivers leave their spots. Eagle Rock has two “main drags”, Colorado and Eagle Rock Boulevards, heck one of them is Route 66! Is this really necessary! Are there really no other alternatives? I would be interested in understanding who exactly is pushing for this? I strongly doubt most residents of Eagle Rock are.

    1. Metro pushed for it and a smattering of anti-car activists and “social justice” warriors.

    2. The ones pushing it. De leon. The whole city councel. Don’t know the correct term yuppies. Ppl who move here bc of all the bars coffee shops. Wonder of they even know the history of this town. Im.sure they have 2 do grocery shopping. Or have it del oh no by a car…….

  3. Against. Pro-BRT but not at the expense of the lane. As others have stated we have no viable alternate routes for vehicular traffic and the bottleneck will be awful. I sent my comments to boardclerk@metro.net.

      1. Amy – I also believe all the traffic will go through Hill and Yosemite but Metro’s analysis is the opposite. The Traffic Diversion Analysis report estimates the traffic increases on Yosemite will be just 1% and less than 4% on Hill. This makes no sense. They also estimate that there will be an 11% increase on Ave 64 and a 5% increase on Fig. Who uses a N-S route to go East-West? If Metro really wanted to give us real impact numbers Metro would have done a simple traffic study with cones blocking off one lane in each direction on Colorado and see what happens. Give it a week or two and present the numbers. Cheap and factual. Unfortunately Metro’s agenda was decided long ago despite facts and statistics.

  4. Pro. I care about the children and they will all die from climate change if we don’t abandon automobile-manufacturers and return the streets to everyone, not just people privileged enough to be able to afford a car. I am sad to see so many of my neighbors would throw their own families and the world under their car just to save seven minutes, the anticipation increase in transit time for automobiles to cross Eagle Rock. I guess no inconvenience is too small not to pitch a NIMBY fit.

    1. Lisa – Reduction of a vehicle travel lane will make pollution worse. The EIR findings increase travel time by 100% in the mornings and 129% in the evenings. The buses will be slower too — increased travel times of 21 and 43% respectively. That’s thousands of cars spending double the time for local travel. We can have a BRT and bike lanes without doubling the pollution in our community as well as protecting our neighbors from cut-through traffic.

    2. Sorry. Privileged to own a car!!!!!!
      I worked long n hard 4 my car.
      N I’ll tell you high n mighty attitude what I have is worth more than ur half ass electric car. Plse get off ur high horse
      If u can’t afford a car. Or scotter work harder

  5. Colorado has 3x the traffic as York, and 4 current Metro bus lines, this is not a good comparison. Also the BRT F1 design blocks off the fire station and blocks off Trader Joe’s delivery trucks the driveway to the loading dock. Could you please have a little consideration for others?

  6. Where does mayor candidate Kevin De Leon stand on taking away car lanes? Call him at 1-213-473-7014

    1. He came out publicly in favor of it a couple of weeks ago, at a sparsely-attended, probably invitation-only, outdoor meeting in front of Eagle Rock City Hall.

  7. Councilman de Leon has busy putting up stop signs all over town, most recently a jungle full of signs at Delevan Drive school. He seems to be intent on recking Eagle Rock. I can hardly find my way out of my residence with all this stupidly.

  8. Sorry. For all those in favor for this train wreck…
    Have u considered the 5yrs of dirt n dust there will be for construction? No walking on sidewalks. Heavy equipment everywhere. Psst not clear air equipment. I’ve talked 2 dwp n the ones subbed out for work. 5yrs isn’t even close. Bc once it’s paved the sewer n electric will b dug up. The bus lane will sink with weight of buses just like they do now. So mayb add another 4yrs of not clear air. Then go n say sorry 2 all the business leaving. Good job.

  9. Nice. I hope this happens. Not only would it speed up public transit, but it would provide traffic calming. Colorado Blvd. through Eagle Rock is nothing but a traffic sewer that is unpleasant for pedestrians to stroll on because pedestrians are basically walking alongside a very wide highway with drivers who like to speed through there.

  10. I was delighted to see this plan go forward. Thanks to Mr. de Leon and to Hilda Solis for showing some leadership, and to the neighborhood organizations that tailored Metro’s original plan.
    Many people have noted the improvements that have been visible when York Blvd., and Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, were made more pedestrian-friendly. I look forward to something of the same effect for Eagle Rock over the coming years.
    When parts of Colorado Blvd. were narrowed from 3 lanes to 2, about 10 years ago, some neighbors had a meltdown (and alas, the term is apt), predicting dire traffic overflow onto Hill Dr., huge delays traversing Colorado, and gridlocked ambulances. Turned out, the Metro studies on the effects were pretty much correct, and these problems proved minor – with the benefit of calming traffic, making crossing the boulevard safer, and limiting some of the street racing we can still see. This should take things to another level, and I’m looking forward to that.

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