Beverly Glen Blvd. May Ban Large Vehicles
Posted by Daniel Antolin on Nov 23, 2011 - 4:40:06 AM
Fifth District Councilmember Paul Koretz. Photo courtesy of his office.
WESTWOOD—During the morning of Wednesday, November 23, the Los Angeles City Council will consider restricting large vehicles from parking on both sides of Beverly Glen Boulevard, which is one of Westwood's high-traffic thoroughfares, from north of Wilshire Boulevard to Comstock Avenue.
Paul Koretz, who represents Los Angeles's Fifth District including Westwood, introduced a motion that was passed on August 12 requesting that the Department of Transportation and City Attorney Carmen A. Trutanich prepare and present an ordinance that would prohibit such vehicles from parking along the aforementioned street weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. An ordinance released by DOT on November 15 has changed the cap to 4 p.m.
"The increasing prevalence of commercial vehicles in some residential areas is causing significant quality of life issues," states the motion introduced by Koretz and co-sponsored by Bill Rosendahl, council member for L.A.'s 11th District. New ordinance language states that a parking ban would provide locals with some relief from this situation from "oversized," not "commercial" vehicles, as originally specified in the motion.
According to an August 4 report presented by the LACC Transportation Committee, large commercial vehicles parking in the half-mile residential area for an extended length of time have caused traffic collisions and fender benders for years. This is because their large size prevents drivers leaving from their homes onto the street from seeing oncoming vehicles. Locals expressed these concerns to the committee on July 27.
If approved, the ordinance, would ban all vehicles from parking along Beverly Glen Boulevard that are 22 feet in length or over 84 inches in height where there are posted signs. There is no mention in the ordinance language of an earlier proposed exemption for trucks that enter the area to make general deliveries or for construction/repair work. Though these are the vehicles locals oppose.
Evelyn Alexander with the Beverly Glen Traffic Committee wrote to the L.A. Times in August, "Cement trucks as well as school buses and delivery trucks cut through Beverly Glen; they are all too large to stay in their lane on our curvy, two-lane road."
But new ordinance language does indicate that people who conduct business from big trucks parked in the area would be subject to the new law. This is because they litter adjacent homes' front lawns and attract customers who loiter, the ordinance states.
Michele Grant, chief executive officer of The Grilled Cheese Truck, told Canyon News in August that she was concerned about how a ban would limit her business in that she caters events in the area. LACC members told Grant this would also be taken into consideration as DOT and the city attorney draft a parking ordinance.
Grant said she understood completely the paramount safety concerns voiced by locals, and that this is not being driven by a NIMBY attitude.
"Safety is first and foremost," Grant said.
The LACC will consider this ordinance as the 10th item on its agenda in City Hall's John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340 starting at 11 a.m.
Beverly Glen Boulevard's location makes it vulnerable to a high volume of through traffic. Along with Sepulveda Boulevard and the I-405 Freeway, it is one of three major routes that connect West Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley. Commuters use this street and Sepulveda Boulevard to get by in lieu of the I-405 Freeway when it becomes overly congested.
In 2002, the Los Angeles Police Department West L.A. and Valley Traffic divisions formed a special task force to help reduce traffic collisions on Beverly Glen Boulevard. These collisions are caused by the drivers who commit traffic violations out of the 27,0000 others that travel through the street on a daily basis, a press release announcing the task force states.
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