Walking down the street the other day I saw a lawn sign that I found both amazing and shocking. Also, laughable.
There is no matter of public policy these days that doesn’t boil down to a challenge between facts and disinformation. Better Overland is just the most prominent example to be put to through the propaganda machine. It’s too bad that people feel they have to fight against a popular, fully vetted and completely funded public works improvement.
The slogans on these signs are not just false, they are complete reversals of truth. That is organized disinformation.
So, first of all, there is no plan to remove parking from Overland Ave. Making this the top slogan shows that the people leading this campaign are consciously using a bait-and-switch approach to getting your attention.
As someone who drives and bikes, my focus is on what works best all around. That is where public policy should focus.
Actual, verifiable facts: The Better Overland project has been in process for since May of 2024, and has been approved twice by the Culver City Council. Twice.
City staff held eight public meetings for the community, in addition to multiple private meetings with smaller organizations that were stakeholders in the process.
There were QR codes were posted along the entire length of Overland Avenue so that everyone using the street could post their thoughts and ideas regarding Overland directly to the project portal. They received more than a thousand public comments, the vast majority in favor of the project.
At the first public meeting (which I attended and reported on) several residents on Overland Avenue were thrilled that the city was going to create changes. One man spoke about having cars crash into his front yard. The people who live on the street were eager for change. The majority of community members who weighed in on the matter approved.
As someone who frequently commutes by bike, I’m bored with hearing the same silly argument that got another refrain at a recent council meeting. “I, personally, do not see anyone riding a bike here, so why are we putting in bike lanes?” That’s like saying ‘I never see any planes landing here, why should we have an airport?’
Airplanes, you might have noticed, land at spaces that are designated for planes.
We have ‘curb cuts’ at every intersection for wheelchair users. How many people do you see using wheelchairs? If just one person in a wheelchair needs access, the law says access is required. The truth is that the Better Overland project increases ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliance by adding signal upgrades, sidewalk lighting, and curb ramps. So putting little graphics of people in wheelchairs on these lawn signs, as if this group were being singled out for discrimination – it’s not just false, it’s a specific reversal of facts.
That is the tell-tale fingerprint of propaganda.
On the Ballona Creek bike path, and the short stretch of Culver Boulevard that has a landscaped bike path, I typically pass lots of people on bikes every time I ride, and that doesn’t even include scooters or strollers. Weekday mornings, afternoons; there are plenty of bikes. People prefer to ride where it’s safe to ride. When Overland gets better, there will be more people using it as a bikeway.
The campaign of lawn signs preaching “Save Overland” seem to be people who live on other streets. They also seem to live in an alternate reality, where a project that already has official approval, funding, years of planning work and popular support should be cancelled on their objection.
The anti-bike lane contingent has made a policy of propaganda since the city rejected it’s own data on the downtown MOVE project, to replace it with data that made it seem as if changing the configuration downtown was crucial. As any traffic engineer could tell you, adding that other traffic lane back in has resulted in…more cars trying to get through the same space. You know, traffic.
Someone recently asked me when they would be adding the lane back in downtown. When I said they did that two years ago, they were confused as to why there was traffic. It’s a zen koan – if you are driving a car, you are traffic.
With gasoline at $6 dollars a gallon (and it will be $10 before the summer is over) I think it’s a great moment to commute by bike. The weather is ideal, the light is increasing in evening hours, and it feels as if everything in bloom.
I thought about posting a picture of the lawn sign, but that’s more disinformation bait. ‘Don’t repeat the lie’ is like ‘don’t feed the trolls.’ There will be a fresh batch of lawn signs coming out before the election in June, so these will be going away pretty quickly.
Better Overland will make Overland better. That is what it’s designed to do.
Judith Martin-Straw
