Nearly five and a half hours into its twice-monthly meeting, a very tired West Hollywood City Council last night postponed taking action on a proposal by city staffers to deal with pedestrian crosswalk safety.
The Council asked the city’s Transportation Commission to review the proposal at its Oct. 15 meeting. The Council itself will take up the proposal at its next meeting, which is on Oct. 20.
While the Council didn’t act on the proposal, several members raised questions about aspects of it, with John Duran, for example, questioning the number of pedestrian walkways with flashing lights or stoplights proposed for Santa Monica Boulevard.
Genevieve Morrill, president of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, also asked the Council to consider the potential impact on local businesses of a proposal to convert an opening in the traffic median on Santa Monica Boulevard between West Knoll and Westmount so that it will allow drivers headed west on Santa Monica to make a left turn and head east. Currently the opening allows eastbound drivers to turn west.
That opening now allows eastbound drivers to gain access to the parking garage at the Ramada Inn, where many park to visit local businesses on the block such as Kitchen 25, Starbucks and other restaurants and shops.
The plan was developed at the request of the City Council with advice from the city’s Public Safety and Transportation commissions after several pedestrians were hit by cars. The death in August of Clinton Bounds, a well-known figure in West Hollywood’s gay nightlife community, while crossing Santa Monica Boulevard on foot sparked a public demonstration and demands at the Council meetings for action.
The Transportation Commission will meet at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the Plummer Park Community Center, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. at Martel.
They should have buttons at the crosswalk for people like train tracks and have a bar come down so cars see it and have to stop.
its the WORST ever almost hit almost every day by rude careless self centered phone holding, texting idiot drivers. amazing people are dying and noone cares or can do anything. they only care about closing streets for their events and making it HELL for local residents to go to work or do their errands.
There was a full conversation and they took public comments. But.. council felt it needed some of these ideas needed time to season…. in the meantime we have not had a crosswalk accident since the ‘pedestrian safe zones’ were employed. There are some good ideas on the table… and if you listened to the pedestrian plan for the area from San Vicente to La Cienega.. it goes something like this. Palm Ave. – eliminate or put a mid block crossing signal.. add better lighting. Hancock – turn into a 4 way intersection that allows for eastbound traffic to make a… Read more »
Yes, indeed, five tired old faces that should be retired from the hurly burly life of politics – so they can finally be hired by some lobbyists to just create more chaos.
I don’t understand why this wasn’t he first agenda item? There might be a legitimate answer to that question. One would think it would have been the first agenda item, since its been getting so much press and there have been a lot of accidents recently?
i share luca d’s empathy for our council members. let’s give them a break already.
….and just wait to see how fast the council reacts when Charles Cohen (and other developer cronies) want something. It will be approved at warped speed.
THEY are tired? Imagine how the 3 dead guys feel!!!! “Council postponed taking action” CORRECT, FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW!!!! The council should be charged with criminal neglect of duties.
i feel bad that the council was so tired. i recommend that they ALL resign from the rigorous duties of raising money for their campaigns, and using west hollywood as a springboard for more lucrative, tax payer funded jobs.
no one should have to suffer as they do.