The Culver City Council meeting of Jan 26, 2026 took up the Better Overland project, and passed Option B as the best way to slow down speeders, create protected bike lanes, and keep parking available. The project, which was on both the Consent Calendar and Action Items, sought a green light for grant money and a decision on design.
Better Overland, which has been in discussion since 2024, will add vital protected bike lanes and help to alleviate traffic issues through redesign of both parking and vehicle lanes.
The city’s report, given by Thomas Check, Senior Traffic Engineer for the Mobility and Traffic Division, offered that the project had been in development since May of 2024. ‘Better Overland’ has been broken into Phase One and Phase Two, and is contingent on available funding. “Due to the different grant programs, and what they prioritize…we are strategic about how we scope what we are asking for.”
The full project will encompass 2.5 miles of Overland Ave, from Slauson Avenue to Venice Boulevard, and include new street lighting, two new traffic signals, and protected bike lanes. The current focus is on the area from the Ballona Creek to Culver Boulevard (which is not included in Phase One or Two.) Check apologized if any of the report was confusing, but noted that it had to do with different grants coming from different sources at different times.
The section scheduled to be constructed this year includes a new traffic signal in front of the Culver City Julian Dixon Library, a much needed safety feature for pedestrian and cyclists.
Phase Two, the section from Ballona Creek to Freshman Drive, will include street trees, new ADA ramps, sidewalk facing street lighting, and protected bike lanes in both directions. Construction is currently scheduled to being in 2028.
The last time this came before council was May of 2024, when there were two design options offered. Option B, the design approved by the council at the Jan. 26 meeting, maintains both left run lanes at intersections without traffic signals, and the center left turn lane. It will remove parking on west side of the street, and add in protected bike lanes. The choice between sacrificing the middle turn lane to keep parking spaces on both sides, or lose the parking on the west to keep the center available speaks to traffic safety.
Community outreach, conducted by the city in June and July of 2025, found that a significant number of participants favored Option B. Check stated that even those who did not like the project offered that if the City had to do it, Option B was the way to go.
Adrian Killigrew was one of twenty-two people who signed up to speak to the issue from the podium, and he noted that installing bike lanes makes Culver City “a forward-facing city…one of my biggest concerns is vehicle speed. People are driving up to 45 and probably faster…creating streets where everyone can travel safely is an investment in long term health.”
Overland Avenue had the speed limit reduced from 40 mph to 35 mph in November of 1986, after radar information noted the number of people driving above the posted limit. Then-City Engineer Jim Davis performed the traffic study.
It is still a street where, 40 years later, many drivers exceed the posted limit, making it a hazard for pedestrians and cyclists.
Judith Martin-Straw
