Silver Lake residents divided over "Road Diet"

SILVER LAKE, CA (FOX 11) - Heavy traffic is a growing problem in many parts of Los Angeles. The problem came to light in Silver Lake Tuesday when cell phone video showed drivers getting out of their car, screaming at each other.

Some residents blame the growing road rage problem on the Rowena "road diet."

In 2013, Rowena Avenue, a big artery in Silver Lake near Ivanhoe Elementary, was cut from four lanes to two, leading some residents to call it a 'road diet.'

The two lanes now include a turning lane in the middle and two bike lanes. The 'diet' portion is less than a mile from Glendale to Hyperion. And with hundreds of drivers expected because of new condos, many residents are nervous.

People don't want to sit in a long line of traffic for ¾ of a mile. So they go to the surrounding streets. They speed down the surrounding streets - they blow our stop signs…and this is where families with kids are," said resident Jerome Courshon.

There is a petition to end the road diet, but supporters say going back to four lanes won't make things better.

"My kids can walk to school much more safely and speed kills. And speed is down. The number of crashes is down. The number of sirens that we hear is down. It's much safer," said Jennie Chamberlain.

The city of Los Angeles confirms the number of crashes has been cut in about half since the diet started.

Supporters also say the GPS app Waze is a big reason the smaller streets are suddenly seeing congestion.

They also say the problem is more complicated that fixing a diet.

"I think we have a traffic culture problem in Los Angeles, and I'd love to shit that culture so that everyone is more safety minded," said Chamberlain.