A street safety project now being considered by the City of Los Angeles could bring protected bicycle lanes and other traffic-calming measures to a busy stretch of Adams Boulevard.

The project corridor, a two-mile segment of Adams between Fairfax Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, was identified by Los Angeles officials as part of its high-injury network - the roughly 6 percent of  streets where for more than 70 percent of the city's traffic injuries and fatalities occur.  Between 2009 and 2019, the stretch of Adams Boulevard slated for new safety infrastructure saw 59 such incidents - including 10 deaths.

LADOT, which is leading the project, is building its efforts off of community outreach initiated in 2017.  Respondents to a past survey conducted by the agency found a desire for safer streets and sidewalks, as well as addition crosswalks and bike lanes.

Proposed design options include:

  • protected left turn signals;
  • pedestrian refuge islands;
  • pedestrian signals and beacons;
  • lane reconfiguration; and
  • bike lanes.

LADOT is considering two design options for the proposed bicycle lanes.

In one alternative, angled parking along the north side of Adams would be used to create a 6-foot protected bike lane for westbound travelers.  The sound side of the street would retain existing curbside parking, abutted by a 5-foot eastbound bike lane with a 2-foot buffer zone.

The second alternative, calls for symmetrical 6-foot bike lanes on both sides of the street, each of which would have a 4-foot buffer zone from vehicle traffic lanes.  Curbside parking would be retained under this option.

Per a project website, the proposed safety infrastructure would be implemented incrementally over a period of years.  Street surfacing and restriping is expected to occur between March and May of 2021.  Construction of the new refuge islands, beacons, and traffic signals would occur between 2021 and 2023.

The city is currently soliciting community feedback for the proposed project.  A survey is open for responses through January 30, 2021.  Click here to leave feedback.

The two-mile stretch of Adams now being considered for bicycle infrastructure and other safety projects has recently seen a flood of new construction.  Mid-Wilshire-based developer CIM Group has invested heavily in the neighborhood, building a collection of apartment buildings, offices, and even a hotel.