The West Hollywood City Council voted 3-2 on July 20 to support a plan for dedicated bus lanes on La Cienega Boulevard, south of Santa Monica Boulevard.

The West Hollywood segment is part of a regional plan to extend bus-only lanes between Santa Monica Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard in Los Angeles, with the goal of reducing travel times by approximately nine to 10 minutes across the route and making connections easier with the Metro D Line subway station at Wilshire/La Cienega and the E Line at La Cienega/Jefferson. Known as the Westside Bus Connection Project, the initiative is spearheaded by the Westside Cities Council of Governments, which includes West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Culver City.

West Hollywood became the first city to consider and support the plan. La Cienega Boulevard passes through Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, which have not yet considered the lanes and would have to grant approval before the plan moves forward. No timeline has been established for when the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles city councils will review the bus-only lanes, which would also be marked and designated as bike lanes. The goal is to have the lanes in place prior to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the transit buses on La Cienega Boulevard, is also involved in the planning process. The Westside Cities Council of Governments will build the bus lanes project using Measure M transportation funds. The specific overall cost of the project has not yet been determined.

Vice Mayor Danny Hang and Councilmembers John Erickson and Chelsea Byers supported the bus lanes plan, with Mayor John Heilman and Councilwoman Lauren Meister voting no. Meister said the bus lanes would provide little advantage for West Hollywood residents because the majority of the lanes will be in the city of Los Angeles.

“My point is, how many West Hollywood residents is this actually helping?,” Meister asked, to which staff responded that the specific number of West Hollywood residents who ride buses on La Cienega is undetermined.

She also questioned whether the bus-only lanes would potentially impede traffic at intersections where two westbound left turn lanes from Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue merge into southbound vehicular traffic lanes on La Cienega Boulevard. City staff replied that the lanes would start far enough south of the intersections as to not obstruct traffic.

Heilman also questioned whether having dedicated bus lanes is worthwhile, stating that the reduction in travel times is minimal and the loss of a lane could make congestion worse for vehicular traffic. He cited other issues along La Cienega Boulevard, such as traffic signal timing at Pico Boulevard, that increase wait times, and said many details need to be worked out.

“I don’t support trying to expedite bus traffic at the expense of other users,” Heilman said. “There are things that we can do to try to improve La Cienega for everyone, but we shouldn’t be approving it just for one category and ignoring everyone else who uses that street.”

Supporters on the council said the project is well conceived and beneficial for the West Hollywood community, as well as other public transit riders traversing the westside. Erickson supported more bus lanes, which he said will be particularly important for public transportation during the Olympic Games.

“I think ultimately, at the end of the day, this is a comprehensive, thorough, community-vetted process that it has gone through,” Erickson said. “I’m in full support of this item. I’ve spoken to a number of residents who use the bus, and I actually ride the bus myself … and it is good public policy and good public transportation and forward-thinking ideas like this that not only join all of our cities together, but also get us to those other types of alternative options faster, whether that be the D Line or wherever else.”

“This is truly a regional effort and it is really exciting to have reached this point of discussion. I am fully supportive of staff’s recommendation,” Byers said. “We have a rare opportunity to create this accelerated transit connection in our only north-to-south area that connects to the D Line in our city, and I think that is something we should be excited to invest in.”

Hang also emphasized the need to have transit projects in place ahead of the Olympic Games.

“People actually use the bus to go to work, to go get their groceries, to take care of their family, and I think having a dedicated bus lane would keep buses running and likely on schedule,” Hang said. “And if we are going to host the world in 2028, then we need to have the infrastructure to make this a car-free Olympics. I think this is what we need to move forward.”

West Hollywood residents Kevin Burton and Helen Krieger spoke in support of the bus lane plan at the meeting. Burton, co-founder of the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition, said it is especially important because the bus lanes will also be designated as bike lanes. “We strongly support staff’s recommendation of 24-hour bus-bike lanes in both directions on La Cienega Boulevard. This has a lot of advantages,” Burton said. “One thing I would suggest is that the lanes not just be bus-bike, but bus-bike-emergency vehicle lanes, because those lanes will remain open 24 hours a day for emergency services to get around any congestion, and that’s a big advantage.”

Krieger, a candidate for West Hollywood City Council, said the bus lanes will improve public transit for riders.

“This is a really great opportunity for us to increase our transit, which will decrease vehicle miles traveled. This is a great way for us to do a bike connection, which we’ve desperately needed,” Krieger added.