Editor:
You need to really understand what is planned on Lincoln by attending a workshop, read the written materials, and, more importantly, walk along Lincoln.
The priority bus lane for peak times will NOT take away from the existing two lanes of traffic. It would only be in operation in the existing parking lane. It will stop buses from having to disrupt traffic as they pull in and out of bus stops. It will stop the "zoomers", who use the empty parking lane as a speed lane when the other two lanes are congested. These drivers are not planning on turning right, since they just want to race the other cars in the travel lanes: they want to win at any cost even if it disrupts others! The near accidents are numerous when the light turns green at intersections, or where there is an infrequently encountered parked car! The number of cars parked on Lincoln in the heavy northbound A.M. and southbound P.M. commute are marginal. Of the over 100 parking spots on the west side, less than 15 are used in the P.M. commute. And, there is ample side street parking.
Bikes? The 12 foot bus priority lane will be demarcated by a solid white line. In off peak times, this gives bikes about 5 feet of an "unmarked" lane to navigate more safely than today when bicyclists use either the street, or, illegally, the sidewalk, the most common "bike lane" on Lincoln. Most bikers will be able to traverse the entire length of Lincoln in Santa Monica without interfering with buses, as the buses will likely only run in the dedicated lane a few hours each morning and evening.
So, nothing is being taken away from the predominant, single occupant cars on Lincoln. Quite frankly, if you want to harness your displeasure and seek a constructive outcome, please encourage the LADOT to de-bottleneck Lincoln between the Santa Monica border and the Marina Freeway. That will truly make traffic flow with less gridlock in Santa Monica!
Medians? Turning cars not only slow traffic, but they also create a variety of safety issues. Medians reduce these potential issues. The 1.25 miles of Lincoln being discussed is about 6,500 feet long. The options of 1,000 feet or 2,000 feet of medians are actually too short for many. The vote in the LiNC Plan workshop on Aug. 6 was 2 to 1 for the longer median. If a longer median option were offered, it might be even more popular. Public Safety concerns (emergency vehicle access) preclude a continuous median.
Crosswalks? The proposed three crosswalk locations would have warning lights actuated by pedestrians. If you walk Lincoln between Pico and Ocean Park, you will notice that when the lights at these two cross streets stop Lincoln traffic there is a period of almost no traffic in either direction between these intersections. That is when crosswalk lights could stop traffic, however light it is.
I'd be happy to walk Lincoln with you to illustrate the real problems on Lincoln.
Roger Swanson
Lincoln Blvd. Task Force
PS: I worked for an oil company for ten years in the 1970's and I was in a 5-person car pool to downtown LA when there were no public transportation options. It can be done!
