Construction work is well underway along Hollywood Boulevard for the first phase of the improvement project between Lyman Place and Gower Street, with safety as a priority.
Hammed Esa said he witnesses a car accident at least once a month. Esa said he was in a car accident at a traffic light a few months ago.
“All of a sudden a car came up behind me and just hit me,” Esa said.
The street will be renovated and protected cycle paths will be added, reducing parts of the boulevard from two to one lane.
Some residents, like Sam Brodnitz, are excited about the construction.
“Actually, I don’t have a driver’s license,” Brodnitz said. “I cycle, so the idea of cycle paths sounds very exciting to me. But I completely understand it. I know that there are often bottlenecks here. I also see that it is frustrating for people.”
Commander Craig Valenzuela, the head of the Los Angeles Police Department’s traffic task force, welcomes the changes as long as they slow traffic.
The number of fatal accidents has steadily increased since 2021. That year there were 294 fatal crashes in LA. In 2022 there were 314 and last year 345.
“That trend line continues to rise and quite sharply,” he said. “Just a reminder, last year there were more traffic fatalities than criminal homicides.”
Nick Barnes-Batista, the spokesman for LA City Council District 13, said he would not cycle on the boulevard until after the improvements. He believes the new bike lanes and other traffic calming measures will protect pedestrians.
“Hollywood Boulevard is an injury-heavy network,” he said. “It is part of 8% of city streets that are responsible for 70% of fatalities on city streets.”
The work between Lyman Place and Gower Street should be completed by the end of July. The improvement project will move to the road between Gower Street and La Brea Avenue next year.
