TERAAs the lead organization behind the Take Back The Boulevard initiative that is focused on Colorado Boulevard, TERA objects to the use of Take Back The Boulevard funds to downgrade the walkability of Colorado Boulevard.
Click below to read TERA’s letter to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation:
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To our members and the Eagle Rock community, TERA officially endorses the Beautiful Boulevard plan to make BRT on Colorado Blvd work for all members of our community. We also believe there must be funding support for our businesses impacted by the project’s construction and a plan to deter potential cut-through traffic in the neighborhood. You can read our full statement here:
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The City of Los Angeles recently introduced a program called “Slow Streets” which allows some residential streets in a community to be temporarily converted into pedestrian-priority streets, thus creating a space where people can maintain physical distancing while out for exercise and fresh air. The program seeks to provide some small relief to Angelenos who are limited in their access to traditional gyms, parks, and recreational centers, while Angelenos adhere to Safer At Home restrictions to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Simultaneously, Slow Streets seeks to respond to an uptick in cut through speeding that residential communities face with fewer drivers on the road.
TERA was successful in bringing Slow Streets to Eagle Rock as one of the first four approved local sponsors citywide. Slow Streets is a natural extension of TERA’s Slow Yosemite, Take Back the Boulevard, and Rock the Boulevard initiatives, which seek to improve the quality of life for Eagle Rockers by making streets that are safely accessible not only to cars but to pedestrians and bicyclists as well. With this in mind, TERA submitted a list of potential streets to implement Slow Streets on to the City and agreed to assist the City in maintaining them and providing feedback on the program. While the City did not accept some of TERA’s street submissions, the program was approved for implementation in Eagle Rock with an initial installation of three streets: Ellenwood Drive (between Avenue 45 to Yosemite Drive), Fair Park Avenue (between Eagle Rock Boulevard to Maywood Avenue), and Maywood Avenue (between Yosemite Drive and Chickasaw Avenue).
Eagle Rock Slow Streets launched mid-day on May 22 and early observation and feedback suggest they have been a big success. At any time of day, but especially in the mornings and early evenings, when temperatures are cooler, you can see people of all ages and backgrounds walking, bicycling, scooting, skating, walking their dogs, pushing strollers and finding brightness in the Southern California climate. Angelenos are hungry for mental and physical relief during this pandemic and we are seeing Eagle Rockers voting with their feet and taking to the streets.
One of the biggest surprises that Slow Streets has presented is that the benefit of a calmer street extends beyond just those using the street itself. All along Ellenwood, Maywood, and Fair Park, residents are making use of their front porches, yards, and balconies to enjoy the quieter and safer streets, all the while making newfound (socially distant) connections with their neighbors passing by.
Over the last week, several residents have asked TERA to sponsor Slow Streets in their part of the neighborhood. And, TERA is working with the City to see if we have the capacity to expand beyond the initially selected streets.
But the clearest sign of success? The sound of children laughing, and the smiles on their faces as they enjoy a degree of freedom that Slow Streets have given them to safely get around their own neighborhood.
We’d like to hear from you about your experience of Slow Streets, ideas for how it can be improved, and suggestions for where it can be expanded to. Please use our survey to give us your feedback as we work to keep ourselves safe and healthy during these unprecedented times: http://tera90041.org/slow-streets-survey/
TERA, along with our partners the Office of Councilmember Jose Huizar, Occidental College, the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce, Deborah Murphy Design + Planning, and SALT Landscape Architects, were given the Award of Excellence for a Grassroots Initiative by the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA). Read more here
TERA is working with the City of Los Angeles to bring its temporary “Slow Streets” program to Eagle Rock. “Slow Streets” seeks to provide more space on residential streets for people to maintain social distancing while getting out for fresh air and exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting on Friday 5/22, the City will provide temporary signage at intersections along the following streets to discourage aggressive driving:
These streets will remain open to drive and park on, but drivers should be aware of the presence of neighbors and children seeking to maintain social distancing. TERA previously submitted a letter to Councilmember Huizar asking for a “Safe Streets” program in Eagle Rock, to consider modifying Yosemite Drive and other Eagle Rock streets. If you are interested in bringing Slow Streets to your street in Eagle Rock, please let us know!
TERA worked with Councilmember Kevin de León and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to implement Phase 2 of TERA’s collaborative Slow Yosemite Initiative, bringing new crosswalks, stop signs, and bike lanes to Yosemite Drive.
Background:
On October 6, 2017, a car crash on Yosemite sent two Eagle Rock High School students to a hospital, with one of them suffering a concussion and a fractured knee. Thankfully no crash on Yosemite has since grabbed headlines, but dozens of crashes continue to happen regularly and the imminent risk of danger remains. It is for this reason that, in 2019, TERA started collaborating with old and new partners to raise the profile of safety on Yosemite Drive through a new initiative called “Slow Yosemite.” Modeled after the success of previous TERA streetscape initiatives Take Back The Boulevard and Rock The Boulevard, Slow Yosemite is a partnership with Council District 14, Eagle Rock High School, Rockdale Elementary School, the Rockdale Elementary PTA, the Eagle Rock High School PTSA, the Eagle Rock Elementary PTA, the Dahlia Heights Elementary PTA, and The ROCK Community Center aimed at making Yosemite safer and more pleasant.
Our local school principals and Slow Yosemite steering committee members Stefani Williams and Mylene Keipp explain the importance of this initiative succinctly:
“The 1.6-mile stretch of Yosemite Drive between Eagle Rock Boulevard and Figueroa Street is on the City’s High Injury Network (HIN) and includes hundreds of residences, three public schools (K-12), churches, a recreation center, public park, small businesses, and a senior residence facility. Our kindergarten through senior high students, staff, and community members need Slow Yosemite to create safer passage for all!”
I am delighted to bring you the latest TERA update. I would like to lead with what has been a lively topic of discussion for many Eagle Rockers over the last few weeks: Metro’s proposed North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and how it may affect Eagle Rock.
Metro presented to the TERA board in November 2018 on project goals and options. At that time, Metro explained that two proposals were being studied, one route primarily along the 134 freeway and one route primarily along surface streets. As far as Eagle Rock is concerned, this meant either routing the line along the 134 freeway and bypassing the neighborhood or running it along Colorado Boulevard and serving our commercial corridor.
Fast forward to June 18, 2019, Metro representatives presented to the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council’s (ERNC’s) Planning and Land Use committee where they reported having recently competed an Alternatives Analysis (AA). The AA Report concluded the 134 Freeway route would produce lower ridership, miss key connections, and not sufficiently meet project goals. As such, the AA Report recommended a primarily street route be pursued in the draft environmental impact report (EIR). Again, with respect to Eagle Rock, this means running the BRT along Colorado Boulevard. The AA Report also identified three potential stations in Eagle Rock– one at the Eagle Rock Plaza, one at Colorado/Eagle Rock, and one at Colorado/Townsend. The discarded freeway option would have provided zero stops in 90041. However, beyond this, not much is said about what this would actually look like. Attendees at the ERNC meeting asked many detailed questions but received very few answers from Metro.
Many expressed a great amount of frustration due to the lack of specifics and a lack of renderings. Would we have to give up our bike lanes? Would Metro look to the Colorado Boulevard medians where trolleys once ran to repurpose the space for dedicated bus lanes?
Given the nature of social media and speculative reporting, some mistakenly have interpreted Metro’s lack of details as the agency prescribing modifications to Colorado Boulevard and withholding key information from the public. However, Metro did not provide any definitive answers because the release of the AA Report represents the beginning, not the end, of what will be a robust and open process inviting community input. The simple truth is that Metro is only starting to prepare various specific design options that will be guided by public input. Now is not the time to raise pitchforks, but instead to raise ideas, long-term aspirations, and areas of concerns.
TERA has used its voice and exercised leadership for Eagle Rock in similarly controversial projects and developments of the past. This will be no different. TERA has every intention of actively engaging Metro, participating in the EIR process, submitting thorough comments at every stage, engaging our elected officials and leveraging our highly engaged residents, stakeholders, and businesses to ensure that Metro does right by Eagle Rock.
We find Metro’s goals of increasing transit access, improving regional mobility, reducing transportation costs, and easing commutes as not only worthy but necessary. TERA has long valued complete streets, promoting alternative transportation, environmental sustainability and supporting our local businesses. We have worked hard to not only espouse these values but to act upon them through specific improvements and projects, such as Take Back The Boulevard (TBTB). When TERA first championed TBTB, the skeptics said it would hurt business. Now, almost six years since the Phase 1 of TBTB was implement – consisting most visibly of bike lanes and new crosswalks with flashing lights – we have seen new businesses thrive alongside and neighborhood institutions.
The tremendous work and planning that went into TBTB over the many years – and what it has done to transform the boulevard – is precisely why we must insist that Metro’s BRT project is done in a manner that complements the community’s vision for Colorado Boulevard. We will hold Metro accountable, and given the agency helped fund TBTB, we are confident they have every interest in avoiding impractical or incompatible elements that run counter to our vision and what we have come to know and love about Eagle Rock’s beautiful small town feel. Consistent with our values, we will support increased transit access on Colorado Boulevard but only in a manner that works for our unique neighborhood.
Our TERA board and members are residents who walk the boulevard, run the boulevard, roll along the boulevard, bicycle on the boulevard, and yes, ride the bus on the boulevard. We are committed to the idea that boulevard is for everyone. As is often the case, the devil is in the details and we will be ready to delve into them to protect the integrity of our neighborhood and fight for a better, more sustainable Eagle Rock of tomorrow.
We look forward to collaborating further with you and look forward to sharing key updates.
Greg Merideth
President
Metro invites you to a community meeting here in Eagle Rock regarding the North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor. Come out and learn about the project and provide your input.
Click here to read more about the project:https://www.metro.net/
And, watch a video about the project here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/
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