(part 3 examines the implementation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan)
After examining the process leading up to the creation of a Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan in Culver City, we now look at the some of the results of the Plan.
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan enjoyed strong support on the Culver City Council. John Rivera of Culver City pointed out that support for the plan goes back years, saying, “The city council authorized going for the PLACE Grant unanimously. They were very supportive from the very beginning and ultimately they approved the plan unanimously with no changes. They saw the need for it and they wanted to see improvement in these areas.”
However, because the plan doesn’t call for the removal of any travel lanes and doesn’t give details for many of the proposed projects, there could still be political battles over the implementation of the plan.
In March, just four months after the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was passed by the city, Councilman Scott Malsin proposed to weaken the plan with a motion that would have watered it down by removing bike lane designations for parts of Washington Boulevard and allow the council to change the plan for any reason if a plan proves unpopular. Of course, a city council can always amend a portion of the city’s planning documents but passing such a motion sends a strong message to potential funders that the city isn’t as serious about the plan as it could be. The motion was eventually pulled from consideration but it exemplifies some of the battles that could be coming.
Meanwhile, city staff is working to bring in the grant dollars needed to make the plan a reality. While there is a top-ten project list in the plan, the staff is looking at different options to try to get project-specific funding to begin changing the DNA of its streets. For example, in June the city successfully won a $500,000 grant from the Baldwin Hills Conservancy to fix the dangerous intersection of Hetzler Road and Jefferson Boulevard. The intersection was not a top-priority intersection in terms of existing usage by cyclists and pedestrians or as a project priority. But the funds existed and staff recognized a need, so they pursued those funds.
The Culver City Bicycle Coalition supports the city’s efforts to chase funds where available rather than to singularly focus on the “Tier 1” projects. “We recognize the city isn’t going down a checklist from one through 10 to get those projects done,” explains Jim Shanman, a founding member of the Culver City Bicycle Coalition. “As long as the progress is steady and continual, we’ll be happy.”
The city has also had success pursuing funding for a $450,000 Safe Routes to Schools grant for Linwood E. Howe Elementary School, the school at the northwest end of the recently-completed Downtown Connector. The city is also pursuing a $500,000 non-infrastructure grant for a city-wide childhood education campaign aimed at encouraging safe and healthy options for students to walk and bicycle to school.
Originally, the educational grant was paired with another grant that would have improved infrastructure for two elementary schools and Culver City Middle School on the west side of the city. However, a vocal group of opponents lobbied the city council and the proposal was paired down to include just the educational program. While the Culver City Bicycle Coalition lobbied hard for the Culver City Middle School safety plan, city leadership wasn’t ready to engage in the political battle necessary to push an application against local push-back.
But even though advocates were disappointed that the full grant application didn’t move forward, they are happy that the city is moving forward with quality applications. “We never got our Safe Routes to Schools grants funded before,” said CCBC’s Meghan Sahli-Wells. “If we earn this grant, it would be almost $1 million in two years.”
City staff confirms that a future Safe Routes to Schools Grant for Culver City Middle School could be completed for a fall grant application cycle.
In summary, it’s fair to say that Culver City isn’t about to supplant Long Beach as the bicycling capital of Los Angeles County, but it’s come a long way in a short amount of time. Combining the funded Safe Routes to Schools project by Linwood E. Howe Elementary School with the improvements planned for the Jefferson/Hetzler intersection and surrounding area funded by the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, along with the Regional Connector, the bicycle infrastructure for the city will increase 50% from the conditions existing when the PLACE Grant was awarded in 2008.
It might not be running yet but Culver City is walking toward a sustainable future. If it manages to fund and complete this plan in five years, the “Heart of Screenland” will also be home to a sustainable transportation grid.
Damien Newton wrote this story while participating in The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, a program of USC’s Annenberg School for Communication.
Bike Safe, Bike Smart! is a weekly column to promote responsible cycling by providing information, education and advice about riding. It’s written by members of the Culver City Bicycle Coalition (CCBC), a local chapter of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Join them for their family bike ride the last Sunday of every month. For more information and to submit your questions, write: ccbicyclecoalition@gmail.com and visit their blog at ccbike.org.
