Project Description
The Westside Mobility Plan is creating a transportation blueprint for the Westside in consideration of multimodal travel, north-south rail connections, and parking solutions. The project is also updating the Coastal Transportation Corridor Specific Plan and West LA Transportation Specific Plan, both of which include nexus fee updates, and encompasses a Livable Boulevards Study.
Traffic congestion on the Westside of Los Angeles is epic and has grown worse in recent years. The area is a desirable place to live, work, and play, creating heavy travel demands during peak and off-peak periods. Improvements to the transportation system have not kept up, and there is little room to expand arterial streets.
In reaction to the transportation issues in the Westside, the Los Angeles City Council has requested a comprehensive study to develop potential short-, mid- and long-term multimodal solutions. The study will require new ways to measure and evaluate the transportation system, considering measures such as vehicle trips (VT), vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in addition to traditional level of service (LOS) measurements.
Documents
Background Documents
1975 Traffic Study/Finding On Century City
The report concludes that the street system now serving Century City and the surrounding area does not meet the needs·of the area, nor will it in the future. As a consequence, it is recommended that further intensification of land use in Century City and the surrounding area be halted or that alternate uses be found that do not add to the existing peak -hour congestion.
The Los Angeles Traffic and Transit Problem - From 1947
“The Los Angeles traffic and transit problem has become so acute that one cannot…drive on a major thoroughfare without wondering, “Why doesn’t someone do something?”
“Hope and determination, as well as comfort, should arise from the fact that Los Angeles has a better opportunity than most cities to tackle the problem effectively. But delay will destroy our present advantage; as population density rises and open areas are built up, the possibilities of effective action will diminish and the cost of necessary action will increase.”
Issues & Rationale
Key Issues
- Growth inducing impacts of the plan
- Conflicting purpose with the Mobility Plan, namely its take on congestion: “The Westside of Los Angeles is a desirable place to live, work, and play, and therefore traffic congestion continues to be an issue.” (The Mobility Plan intentionally increases congestion)
- Flawed assumption re transit oriented development decreasing congestion.
- Does not take into account Expo-relating traffic impacts.
- The new fees cannot be used to pay for existing infrastructure that has deteriorated.
- Failed to properly study the impacts of MP2035
- Failure to study the impact of Pico and Olympiuc medians on first responders.
Rationale
- Increased densification without corresponding infrastructure (of all types) negatively impacts quality of life.
- Increased densification without adequate infrastructure (of all types) violates the General Plan.
- Increased traffic on Pico and Olympic will negatively impact the neighboring communities.