Subway committee approves NoHo-Pasadena bus rapid transit plan – Streetsblog Los Angeles

This week, the Subway Board’s Planning and Programming Committee approved final plans for the bus rapid transit project from North Hollywood to Pasadena. The article [staff report] is subject to the approval of the entire Metro Board of Directors at its meeting on Thursday, April 28 at 10 a.m.

The committee’s action was to certify the project’s environmental studies (Final Environmental Impact Report – Final EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Metro’s planned North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT project will be a new 22-station bus route approximately 18 miles long covering four cities: Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and the Los Angeles City neighborhoods of Eagle Rock and North Hollywood.

In Metro’s Measure M sales tax plan, voters approved $267 million for the BRT line, with a first advance expected in 2020. In Eagle Rock and Burbank, the project has faced criticism over the proposed bus lanes.

At Eagle Rock, naysayers claimed Metro planned to make traffic jams. Eagle Rock transit supporters garnered broad support for a Beautiful Boulevard proposal that balanced road space for transit, driving, bicycling, walking, parking and landscaping landscaping. Metro quickly incorporated nearly the entire community plan into its project plans, which were eventually supported by local LA City Council member Kevin de León. The final plan approved by the committee this week features the “one-lane” configuration of Beautiful Boulevard.

Given the earlier acrimony, this week’s endorsement was relatively low-key. Thirteen public commentators weighed in, more than two to one in favor of Beautiful Boulevard. After a short discussion confirming a few aspects of the Eagle Rock portion of the project, the committee voted unanimous approval.