Along Hollywood Boulevard, construction work is well underway on the first phase of an improvement project between Lyman Place and Gower Street, with safety in mind.
Hamed Essa said he witnesses car accidents at least once a month. He said he was in one of his own car accidents just two months ago while waiting at a traffic light.
“Suddenly a car came from behind and hit me,” Esa said.
The street is being resurfaced to add bike lanes, and parts of the boulevard will be reduced from two lanes to one.
Some residents, like Sam Brodnitz, were excited about the construction.
“I don’t actually have a driver’s license,” Brodnitz said, “so I ride a bike, and the idea of bike lanes is very appealing to me, but I totally get it. I know there’s a lot of congestion around here, and I know it’s frustrating for people.”
Commander Craig Valenzuela, head of the Los Angeles Police Department’s traffic group, welcomes the change as long as it slows traffic.
Fatal accidents have been steadily increasing since 2021. That year, there were 294 fatal accidents in Los Angeles. In 2022, there were 314, and last year there were 345.
“The trend continues to rise, and it’s been steep,” he said. “And to be clear, traffic fatalities surpassed homicide fatalities last year.”
Nick Barnes Batista, a spokesman for Los Angeles City Council District 13, said he won’t ride his bike on the boulevard until the improvements are complete, and he believes the new bike lanes and other traffic-calming measures will protect pedestrians.
“Hollywood Boulevard is a high injury road,” he said. “It’s 8 percent of the city’s roads, but it’s responsible for 70 percent of the city’s road fatalities.”
Work between Lyman Place and Gower Street is expected to be completed by the end of July, with the improvement project moving to the road between Gower Street and La Brea Avenue by next year.
Jeff Nguyen
read more