The Rotunda Room at the Vets Building was the site of a presentation by Culver City’s Andrew Maximous, presenting the initial proposal for a new bike lane on Overland Ave. on Sept. 13, 2023.
The proposed bike lane, part of a city wide network planned to connect cyclists all the way through town, was approved by the City Council and is now taking steps towards being implemented.
“We are just at the beginning of the process, and there are a lot of details to look at before we finalize the plan.”
Maximous, who is a Mobility and Traffic Management Engineer with the Department of Public Works for Culver City, has more than a decade of experience in the field, but has been with the city just under two years. He spent much of the first part of his presentation answering questions from members of the audience, some of whom were aggressively adversarial.
Taking the length of Overland Avenue almost one block at a time, the presentation included the already existing unprotected bike lane, which runs intermittently along Overland, and considered how each part of the street could work, what modifications might need to be made, and how the community would benefit.
Two people attending, who offered that their house was located at the ‘hard turn’ where Overland passes the intersection at Freshman/Clarion, spoke about the number of times cars had landed on their lawn, and threatened to drive into the house. They were happy to support whatever engineering or landscaping that could make that corner safer, and said that they represented their neighbors on both sides, as well.
Many people spoke of cars speeding on Overland – a problem that may be remedied by a California bill that just passed and is awaiting the Governor’s signature, AB 645, which would authorize ticketing by speed cameras; not unlike the tickets we now have for red-light cameras. Most of Overland is zoned for 35 mph – cars often travel at speeds of 45 or 50.
A Culver City council approved widening the road on Overland in 1986, under the authority of the Redevelopment Agency.
Several residents spoke of their concerns in regard to the intersection of Overland and Ranch, currently a flashing four way stop sign, and the need for that to have a traffic signal. The bicycle and foot traffic heading to and from El Rincon Elementary, at the corner of Overland and Sawtelle, requires extra support in both the morning and the afternoon.
Coming down to Hannum and Slauson, it will connect with another bike lane currently being planned for the Fox Hills area.
The plan will be discussed again at the next meeting of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, this coming Thursday, Sept. 19, 2023.
Judith Martin-Straw
