Planned bikes lanes on Forest Lawn Drive targeted in last-minute language added to bill

Lawmakers added last-minute language to a bill that could affect a street safety project at the center of a debate between Mayor Karen Bass and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman.

The original project would have eliminated a traffic lane on a one-mile stretch of Forest Lane Drive for an updated bike lane and added a turning lane. Following pushback from surrounding cemeteries Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills and Mount Sinai Memorial Park, several neighborhood councils and local lawmakers who raised concerns that the plan would make traffic worse, Bass instructed the city’s department of transportation and street services bureau to come up with a redesign. Weeks later, Councilmember Raman and safe streets advocates who pushed for the project criticized Bass’s decision in the wake of a fatal crash.

The language, added before deadline Friday night, would prohibit a city with a population of 2 million or more from “reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes on a street that provides the only access to 2 or more adjacent cemeteries without prior approval of the governing body and the concurrence of the mayor of the city” and would require a public hearing.

Bass’s office previously said the new plans would create a protected bike lane without the elimination of a lane.

The cemeteries shared support for legislation and criticized Raman.

“This legislation, if passed, would be a momentous victory for common sense and for the voices of the people who live and work in the area and those who worship and mourn loved ones in this community,” the cemeteries said in a joint-statement. “For years, neighborhood councils, faith leaders, residents, and other community stakeholders have shared Forest Lawn and Mount Sinai’s serious concerns about the proposed road diet for Forest Lawn Drive proposed by Councilmember Raman despite widespread objections.”

Raman said the safety project is necessary for the communities she represents.

“This last minute amendment to the legislation is clearly meant to stop one road safety project in my district, which is designed to save lives while keeping travel times nearly unchanged for commuters,” Raman said in a statement.

Michael Schnieder of Streets for All, a group that advocates for bike lanes, bus lanes and pedestrian safety measures, said the language would jeopardize street safety improvements, which include a push for bike lanes protected by barriers.

“The cemetery has enough customers. California lawmakers shouldn’t help send it more,” Schneider said in a statement. “People have already been seriously injured and killed on Forest Lawn Drive. After years of work to finally make this street safer, Sacramento is threatening that progress because powerful interests objected. Politics should never come before human lives.”

The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood), who represents the area near Forest Lawn Drive, supported the additional language.

“Contrary to what I have heard from critics, this proposal does not prevent safety improvements or block protected bike lanes. In fact, it will help move the process forward by ensuring that all key stakeholders are brought to the table, alternatives are seriously considered, and the public has an opportunity to weigh in before a final decision is made,” he said in a statement. “There is broad agreement that we need to improve safety along Forest Lawn Drive and provide high-quality protected bike lanes.”

According to the city’s transportation department, there have been more than 95 crashes on Forest Lawn Drive since 2013. Those accidents have included four fatalities, including one on Aug. 13 when a 70-year-old man died in a solo crash just before 2:30 am.

It’s unclear what led to that crash, but safe streets advocates and Raman have pointed to it as a reason for urgent attention.