Task force will consider car-pool lanes, light rail and more buses
By BEATRIZ VALENZUELA Special to the Daily Press
City officials and transportation experts are looking for ways to get cars off Lincoln Boulevard.
Thousands of commuters have chosen Lincoln Boulevard as the alternate route to the 405 in the past several years. But with nearly 70,000 cars traveling along the four-lane highway each day, it’s not much better than sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeway.
In attempt to address high traffic volumes and pedestrian safety on the busy road, a task force has been formed that has representatives from Culver City, the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and Santa Monica.
But without building more lanes on the road, which isn’t an option in most officials’ eyes, mass transit seems to be the only option to get people off Lincoln Boulevard. That would most likely be light rail or more buses, said Darrell Clarke, the Santa Monica representative on the task force and a member of the planning commission. Clarke is a light rail advocate and has been heavily involved in getting a train to run from Los Angeles to Santa Monica. He thinks it could be done on Lincoln Boulevard as well.
“It’s the freeway to Playa Vista,” he said, adding not much planning went into what the future of the road would be once commuters figured out it was an alternate route. “Like too much of LA, nothing was done with the sensibility of how nice it could be. (Light rail) is a bit of a challenge but it could be done.”
“Like too much of LA, nothing was done with the sensibility of how nice it could be. (Light rail) is a bit of a challenge but it could be done.” — — DARRELL CLARKE Task force representative
John Catoe, the new deputy director of the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority who just resigned as the head of Santa Monica’s revered Big Blue Bus system, will push for more buses on Lincoln Boulevard. One plan is to put carpool and bus lanes along sections of the highway.
Clarke volunteered for the job because he is trying to undo much of what planners have done in the past two decades in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Lincoln Boulevard is definitely a problem that has to be dealt with.
“It sure has an impact in Santa Monica,” he said. “The whole idea is to make Santa Monica and LA nicer and easier to get around... things that make the city less awful.”
Over the years, there have been many attempts to make improvements along Lincoln Boulevard by individual jurisdictions with limited and only short-term results.
Members of the Lincoln Corridor Task Force will review applications for a consultant that will come up with various options for Lincoln Boulevard between Manchester Avenue and the Santa Monica Freeway interchange.
The consultant will create alternatives to study for the congested boulevard. The study is to be the first of two phases.
“Right now we are hoping to have a consultant appointed by the end of the year,” said Ruth Harper of Santa Monica’s Transportation Management Division, adding it may be delayed with the holiday season already here.
According to Caltrans’ 1998 traffic volume report, approximately 64,000 vehicles travel along Lincoln Boulevard each day. That is expected to increase because of large development projects like the Costco membership warehouse in Culver City and the mammoth and controversial development in Playa Del Rey.
Some do not feel that the improvements are necessarily needed in Santa Monica.
“I don’t think traffic is really that bad (in Santa Monica),” said Alexis Greenwood, 20, store manager at Diane’s along Wilshire Boulevard. “I take the 10 freeway to work every morning and I exit onto Lincoln. The congestion along that stretch of road is not that bad. I think Wilshire is a bigger traffic concern for Santa Monica.”
“I don’t think traffic is really that bad (in Santa Monica).” — — ALEXIS GREENWOOD Store manager
It’s important that the city be a part of this project because Lincoln Boulevard is a major thoroughfare in Santa Monica and it can always use improvements, said Harper.
It’s going to take a year for the consultant and the task force to figure out a plan. The second phase of the study will include the public and then the committee will decide on a final plan.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 22, 2001. Read the original PDF.