West Hollywood City Council took steps Monday to refine its speed limit policies, addressing safety on six narrow residential streets overlooked in a prior ordinance. The move, part of the WeHo Target Vision Zero Action Plan, aims to cut traffic incidents and enhance pedestrian safety, building on a January 21, 2025, decision to lower speeds.
The council approved introducing Ordinance No. 25 on first reading, setting 20 mph limits on Betty Way, Sherbourne Drive, Shoreham Drive, Wiley Lane, Phyllis Avenue, and Vista Grande Street. These streets, each under 25 feet wide, were missed in earlier updates, per California Vehicle Code Section 22358.3. The ordinance, exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) due to no environmental impact, directs staff to install signage and file a Notice of Exemption.
Public input shaped the discussion. Nick Renteria, a biker hit by a car on Santa Monica Boulevard, urged better driver education, noting the sheriff’s omission of the three-foot passing rule. “I was disappointed to see that our sheriff’s department didn’t list passing within three feet as a way to keep bikers and pedestrians safe,” he said. He suggested using bus shelter ads to target the 70% pass-through traffic.
The council also tackled “differently designed” streets—cul-de-sacs, one-ways, and those with traffic calming. After reviewing 17 candidates, staff recommended speed surveys for Harratt Street (a school zone with complaints) and Almont Drive (a longer segment with calming measures), costing $3,000-$5,000 each, funded in the 2026 budget. Other low-volume streets were deemed unsuitable due to insufficient data.
For Melrose Avenue, staff proposed a Business Activity District with a 25 mph limit post-streetscape redesign, but a 35 mph limit in Los Angeles complicates this. The council directed staff to coordinate with LA for a joint reduction, avoiding a 1,000-foot transition zone, to boost safety across borders.
The decision aligns with Vision 2020’s transportation and safety goals, promising safer, walkable streets. Staff will return for a second reading and may seek further funding if surveys expand reductions.
Oh, look, here’s a law West Hollywood wants people to follow. Immigration law, not so much. If the City Of West Hollywood can pick and choose which laws they want to follow then so can its residents.
It doesn’t matter what the speed limit is……if there’s no enforcement.