title
La Ballona Elementary Safe Routes to School Project
body
Meeting Date: November 16, 2017
Contact Person/Dept: Gabe Garcia/Public Works Department
Helen Chin/Public Works Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5618
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (Email) Bicycle & Pedestrian (11/13/17);
Department Approval: Charles Herbertson, Public Works Director/City Engineer (11/13/17)
____________________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff requests that the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) provide input on the conceptual design for the La Ballona Elementary Safe Routes to School Project.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
In 2015, the City was awarded a $2.8 million California Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 2 grant to construct pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements in the vicinity of La Ballona Elementary School. The project area and proposed improvements were selected based on collision data, school attendance boundaries, and community meetings held in the spring of 2014 and 2015. The project consists of curb extensions and crosswalk improvements in the neighborhood north of the school, new enhanced crosswalks across Washington Boulevard and Washington Place, and a new two-way protected bike lane on Elenda Street connecting the school to the bike path along Culver Boulevard.
As with all ATP projects, grant recipients must adhere to a tight timeline for implementation. Funding for construction must be allocated by the California Transportation Commission by the end of the current fiscal year, which means design must be completed by early spring. The City’s goal is to break ground during the summer when school is not in session in order to minimize construction impacts on travel to school.
There was substantial community outreach leading up to and after the grant application. Three meetings were held in April and May 2014, two meetings were in April 2015, and three additional meetings were held in November 2015. Now that preliminary design has been completed, the City has completed an additional round of outreach. An open house was held on Saturday, November 4th, at the La Ballona Elementary Fall Festival. A second open house will be held before the BPAC meeting tonight. These open houses were promoted via the City’s website, email distribution lists (3,500+ emails), NextDoor, and social media. Additionally, City staff walked door-to-door along Elenda Street from Washington to Culver leaving flyers for the upcoming open houses and talking with residents who were home.
The project has many benefits, the foremost of which is pedestrian safety on both neighborhood streets and Washington Boulevard. Concerns raised to date include the loss of approximately 15 parking spaces on Elenda Street, the removal of the two-way left turn lane on Elenda Street, and the necessity of any bicycle infrastructure on Elenda Street. The consultant has conducted a parking study on Elenda and is currently analyzing the results. City staff is currently exploring opportunities to mitigate the loss of residential parking.
ATTACHMENTS
1. La Ballona SRTS Open House Boards
MOTION
No motion is necessary.