Twenty-one businesses have closed in less than two years since the city of Los Angeles reconfigured a 0.8 stretch of Venice Boulevard as part of the city’s "Vision Zero” and “Complete Streets” program. But despite the usual promises to reduce accidents and improve safety for all modes of transportation while boosting local businesses and reducing emissions, the effect has been the opposite.
It turns out that Streetscape and lane diet opponents' claims that people sitting in traffic are less, not more, likely to stop and shop is exactly what's happening nationwide where these projects have gone in.
Our Mayor has also committed to Vision Zero and Complete Streets, so this should all sound familiar. But she should take heed: in one tiny Oklahoma town, their Mayor's support for lane diets contributed to his recent reelection defeat.
Parking and access for businesses will become impossible, so they fold. Then developers put in high rise condos - this has been in the cards for a long time.
ReplyDelete5:10 Spot on. I suspect that property tax is more reliable than bizz taxes for the guv culture. This is America where MONEY matters more than anything and money always wins.
DeleteCommon sense says if you narrow and reduce lanes where the corridor is already too narrow and the traffic is congested, the result will be much more congestion. Add not enough parking and you have a perfect recipe for killing businesses. If that's the plan and high-rise condos are next, they better make sure to put the parking under the buildings.
ReplyDeleteBut that won't "pencil out." Remember who's in charge here ;)
DeleteYeah- Lets make the road even more unsafe for pedestrians and bikes. That is a great idea. It can be as nice as the freeway bisecting Malibu.
ReplyDeleteThe anti streetscape folks are old and losing brain cells quickly. Sad but true. Please turn in your keys and take Uber. You are now probably more of a liability driving than you know.
Aw Marvy, didn't know you were a flat earther!
DeleteYou pro-SS folks really don't like it when the facts interfere with a good story, do you.
Marvy? Flat earther? Your mind is gone. Please do not drive. Its extremely dangerous to get you behind thousands of pounds of metal going at driving speeds. Scary.
Delete6:09/8:06: please read the article and put forth reasoned arguments as to why cities nationwide, who have already implemented and experienced the folly of their own Encinitas-like improvements, have it wrong.
DeleteYou may not be used to having to explain yourself in the circles in which you run, but you need to know your weird brain cells blather is not a valid substitute for logic out here in the real world.
We'll wait...and wait.
John and Ken in L.A, a.m 640 spells it all out on road diets.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a 100 percent failure. For those that support road diets, you are without any sense.
100%? Hyperbole much?
DeleteRich coming from a streetscammer.
Delete100 percent, your words.
DeleteNot mine, but still rich coming from a streetscammer. The promises phony and the rest of the crew are already proving to be lies.
DeleteLast week the city brought Peder Norby on stage to speak about how wonderful streetscam will be.
ReplyDeleteA funny, not f'in funny at all, the crap coming out of his mouth about the roundabouts.
He failed, no surprise there, to mention the loss of property to owners in order to fit these road obstructions into too small places.
As for parking, Peder mentioned over a hundred spaces being created on the east side of the 101. Funny thing, not f'in funny again, that the railroad right of way is not, and never will be, a sure thing.
We are all paying him for this slight of hand crap. Anyone who listens to his 'contribution' last Wed. can hear for themselves. HIs history should have precluded him from ever being hired by our city again, but there you go.
The city waited until they thought enough people wouldn't notice Norby's return or simply wouldn't know his history here. The guy is here for one thing and one thing only: to push overdevelopment and "vibrancy."
DeleteHe made so many missteps the last time he was here, the council could not ignore the resident outcry and did not renew his contract. Now he's baaack and can't you just imagine how Blakespear hangs on his every word.
Norby is a sick, lying demon. Twenty years ago his plan for Leucadia's 101 corridor was to take all the buildings by eminent domain and demolish them. Now, the snake is being paid to ram the scam down the merchants throats when they go against having their sidewalks demolished, 101 blocked from shoppers, and the huge loss of money if not their entire business that they will incur due to the scam. The financially reckless dictator, hell bent on giving the 36.3 Million dollar cost of the scam, as pay back to her contractor and developer friends, along with kranz-the-parking-lot nut job, and hinze the L101MSA brainwashed stooge have got to be STOPPED! Lets get rid of them all in 2020 and save our 36.3 Million tax dollars, save our 101 corridor from roundabouts and only 2 car travel lanes, an FLOS, and the businesses on 101 from going under.
DeleteHey blakespere, why don't you hire back those two America hating "unqualified" traffic commissioners to head up some other stupid idea. Remember what you stated when they wouldn't stand for the "pledge". What a bunch a rats
ReplyDeleteWho cares?? Free country last time any of us checked. Blakespear wants you to get sidetracked, don't fall for it!!!
DeleteThat story is a nothing burger and a distraction from paying attention to the real rats who are selling our city to the BIA and who need to be run out of their seats in 2020. Focus, 3:29 - focus!
Why didn’t the article mention bird rock?
ReplyDeleteI know that area very well. Prior to building "the pain" of those round a bouts' Birdrock was just fine.
DeleteThen it wasn't. It accomplished nothing.
I also know the area well. You seem out of touch with reality. Things are much better than they used to be.
DeleteThe bird rock comparison was DOA, 9:11. That's reality.
DeleteSo you are arguing that all of the locations in the article (Washington DC, New York, Denver, Oklahoma, etc.) are more relevant than bird rock?
DeletePlease provide the details of your analysis.
This should be good.
Bird rock is and always will be an invalid comparison for reasons hashed out already ad nauseum.
DeleteThe locations in the article describe what happened to local businesses when the roads were reduced. If you are a local business owner, consider yourself warned. If you are a developer and hoping the local business owners swallow your story then more power to you, as this is the American way.
It's clear nothing put in front of you will change your mind - for reasons only you know. You are too quick to dismiss the relevance of what cities nationwide are experiencing with road diets. The article is well researched and well reasoned and gives multiple data points as opposed to your questionable one.
I'm not the one who takes issue with solid reporting, you are, so go do your own damned research.
A road diet consisting of striping only has different impacts than a road diet that also includes rebuilt sidewalk, medians, and in this case roundabouts. Take a closer look, the difficulties that businesses face are usually during the construction phase for those 'streetscapes' that require construction. Restriping only, that's a different story. Dealing with construction is never easy or convenient when you're a small (or any size) business.
DeleteExcept the construction phase is not what's referenced in the article. The main reason cited for business closures is the time lost sitting in traffic that would otherwise have been spent shopping.
Delete9:38,
DeleteActually, the article doesn’t say why the businesses closed. It also doesn’t say how many businesses closed in the months before the change, or whether the rate of closure has changed. It doesn’t say if rents increased because the area became more valuable and economically productive, forcing out businesses who can’t keep up.
In fact, the article doesn’t say much of anything specific, just the unfocused rage of old people who fear change—sort of like EU.
Let's do this all day, 12:01 PM aka 6:06 AM. Bird Rock was not okay before their streetscape. That's reality.
ReplyDeleteBird Rock is not comparable to Leucadia 101. You're just showing your ignorance.
ReplyDeleteChange is difficult. Sorry, 3:06 PM.
Delete8:49 typical city response. Comes out of all their mouths whenever residents disagree with their definition of progress.
Delete8:49 Show how Bird Rock and Leucadia 101 are similar.
DeleteBird rock is more similar than Denver or Oklahoma.
DeleteReally? Are you familiar with the street configurations referenced in the article vs. the completely ridiculous Bird Rock compare? Now you're just making s*@t up.
DeleteGive the details. How is Bird Rock like Leucadia 101?
DeleteMainstreet birdrock (La Jolla Blvd.) is the same old PCH that was built in the same time frame as our old PCH alignment ( N. Coast Hwy 101).
DeleteIts the same conditions. Speeding freeway through mainstreet area causing blight and death. It needs to be redesigned to serve as a mainstreet.
* was the sam old conditions. They improved their blight causing roadway and the community love it and is a safe prospering neighborhood. Go check it out. its only a 30 min. drive south.
DeleteI don't see that many brick and mortar shops doing well in Encinitas unless they are bars. The Encinitas of today is a far cry from the family-friendly town that I experienced when I moved here 30 years ago. The City claims to be pro-business, but they seem to be pro bar.
ReplyDeletetrue. I am voting for anyone challenging the incumbents next election.
DeleteHere is a reality for the know it all no nothings. Bird Rock parking went to the side streets in residential areas west and east of La Jolla Blvd. So it ruined peoples neighborhoods with more cars parking in front of their houses at all hours.
ReplyDeleteAnd for what? A few bicycles? People have lost their minds.
5:52- Clueless or a liar.
DeleteBirdrock neighbors love the roundabouts and streetscape. It saved their community from the speedy blight causing road.
And there it is from 7:41, "I'm either clueless or a liar".
DeleteIn addition to my clueless and lying statement I also know people that live in Birdrock and my peeps own property down by the church. I've been driving that road for over fifty years. But I must be stupid and uninformed. Thank goodness 7:41 has exposed me for the fool I am.
10 to 1, 7:41 has never been down there.
DeleteBLAKESPEAR NEEDS TO GO! WORST MAYOR EVER!!! SHE'S AS DUMB AS THEY GET.
ReplyDeleteFor those who need more research as 12:57 does, check out "KeepTheUSMoving," a grassroots organization dedicated to publicizing the detrimental effects of arterial road diets.
ReplyDeleteTheir mission is to share experiences and information in order to create truly safer roads.
The council should do their due diligence but that interferes with blakespear's "shovel-ready" mentality. The rest of us should know what we're in for and keep the pressure on blakespear and her crew:
https://www.keeptheusmoving.com/news?fbclid=IwAR1bNiA75pRDL6pSjKN-A9I2vUgxkh6AbNYjKx4MMzVXDHLCFjlXHi_YBB8
Should be called Keep US stupid. Its a proven fact- 5% of the people fear change and rather keep crappy conditions than experience a changed improved conditions.
ReplyDelete7:45 You dumbshit. The point is road diets aren't improvements.
ReplyDelete7:45 is Marvy Charles. you can always tell him by his crappy posts.
DeleteThe person posting about "Marvy" whoever that is brain dead. I am not "Marvy" . The idiot is probably Lword or Crazyeyes.
ReplyDeleteThe road diets with Roundabouts are a huge improvement. Just go walk along La Jolla Blvd. in Birdrock or drive through the free flowing roundabouts. The community loves them.
I think the streetscape is much better than the status quo with people speeding through our mainstreet and running over bicyclists. Plus the roundabouts will be awesome as they are in all the other locations throughout town and like the one on the PCH at the Carlsbad/ Oceanside border.
I much rather pay for these nice improvements, than see all the blood on the road and the huge pay outs for liability settlements that are pending. More to come for sure. $$$$$$$$$ Big-time, in the tens of millions.
The existing road suck, its a known hazard, its a huge liability for the City, and it needs to be changed ASAP.
Another thing you can always tell Marvy by? His name-calling of two particular citizens who no doubt have interfered with plans over the years. He simply can't help himself.
Delete5:53, 6:00, 6:03 — Whether Marvy or not, the person is an ignorant fool.
DeleteMikey and Marvy are joined at the hip when it comes to attacking women who refuse to engage him here or anywhere else.
ReplyDeletePlus, they don't post here, and yet, these cretins continually bring them into discussions that they don't participate in.
They are both bullies and cowards, as all bullies are.
^^ Crazy Lynn calls out people by name, and characterizes calling people out by name as bullying. The cognitive dissonance is astounding.
Delete4:20pm. Wrong as usual.
ReplyDelete1:11pm is not Lynn.
Typical.