Restore Venice Blvd logo
The Lane Thefts on Venice Blvd. Endanger Everyone

It’s a BAD plan that isn’t working for anyone: pedestrians, cyclists, businesses, neighbors, commuters, emergency responders, beachgoers or tourists.

The City sold a one year "pilot project" to the community to beautify Venice Blvd. and increase customers for local businesses. Instead, they stole lanes from motorists to make Venice Blvd. “safer” - when there hasn’t been a pedestrian or cyclist death here since 2008.

Before the lane theft, traffic on state-owned Venice Blvd. flowed well, even at peak hours. 46,500 to 52,000 cars traveled Venice Blvd. daily (CalTrans, 2016). After the lane theft, only 31,000 cars a day use Venice Blvd (LADOT, 2017). So where did all those cars go? Onto residential streets, creating havoc in our neighborhoods where kids play and neighbors walk their dogs or take a evening stroll. Locals avoid Venice Blvd. and go elsewhere to dine and shop, no longer patronizing local businesses.

74% of residents polled in Mar Vista, Venice and surrounding neighborhoods are AGAINST the lane thefts. They want the pilot project ended and the lanes on Venice Blvd. restored now.

Here’s WHY:
  • Gridlock every day, at all hours and even on the weekends, creating more air pollution
  • Cut through traffic onto previously quiet residential streets
  • Small businesses revenues down up to 30% and 5 businesses have closed
  • Increased emergency response times as emergency vehicles are stuck in gridlock
  • Increased accidents on and near Venice Blvd. - 14 cyclists hit and 1 pedestrian death
  • Access restricted to Venice Beach and emergency and tsunami evacuation routes

Restore Venice Blvd., a grassroots community organization, asks Mayor Garcetti, Councilman Bonin and LADOT to:

  • Return the stolen traffic lanes, return the parking back to the curb, return the bike lane to its previous configuration and paint the lane green 
  • Keep the new pedestrian crossings and fix the sidewalks as promised
  • Beautify and maintain Venice Blvd. as promised 
  • Support our local small businesses and compensate them for their losses
  • Address Los Angeles’ real transportation problem: a lack of quality public rapid transit

Give us back the Venice Blvd. that was working for everyone.



Press Contact:

Selena Inouye
Chief Grassroot Organizer
restoreVeniceBlvd.com
restoreVeniceBlvd@gmail.com
(424) 326-3666