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Debate over West Hollywood Fountain Ave project
West Hollywood residents debated the future of Fountain Avenue at a community meeting.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A heated community meeting over the future of Fountain Avenue drew sharp criticism — and some support — from West Hollywood residents.
The city’s Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project would eliminate two of the current four lanes of traffic along the 1.8-mile corridor. In their place, the plan calls for protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and new landscaping — changes city officials say are aimed at making the street safer and more "local-serving."
Some longtime residents say the project will make traffic unbearable.
One resident, who received applause from the crowd, said, "It’s an insane idea, it’s just going to cause absolute gridlock, and I couldn’t oppose it more."
Mike Greenfield, who has lived on Fountain for decades, said the project is "about the dumbest thing that anybody’s ever dreamt of if they know Fountain Avenue. The dumbest. You couldn’t get any dumber." He added that the only people he sees walking along Fountain are dog owners, and there are not enough pedestrians or bicyclists to warrant such a drastic change for drivers.
Other residents echoed his concerns. "Looking at it, it really is what they call a ‘road diet’ — which is another way of saying a traffic nightmare," said Jeff Napshin, who lives in West Hollywood.
Roger Martin, another longtime resident, said he’s seen "cars going into buildings, I’ve seen motorcycle riders being killed, I’ve seen all these things over a period of 45 years and it’s noisy to say the least." He argued the solution would be to widen lanes on Fountain, not eliminate them. "Any more narrow will increase the amount of traffic coming and going," Martin said.
But project supporters said the changes will make the street safer and improve quality of life.
Eli Akira Kauffman, executive director of BikeLA, said, "This ‘slow street,’ this calm street is actually going to improve the lives of everyone in the area — even people who don’t bike or walk too much." He added, "We’re losing far too many lives to mistakes that drivers make and others make that really could be avoidable if we had better infrastructure."
West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers acknowledged residents’ concerns but urged the community to look at the long-term vision. "There’s a lot of anxieties about how people’s day-to-day lives are going to be changed, and I think tonight’s a good night to really reckon with those conversations and really understand what the future of West Hollywood is all about," she said.
Byers said she hopes people walk away understanding the project is about improving the city for everyone. She said, "Drivers, cyclists, people who are walking on that street — just the quality of life improvements that are going to come to that street change."
The West Hollywood City Council unanimously approved the project in 2022. The council is scheduled to revisit the redesigns and provide direction at its Sept. 15 meeting.
The city will also host two upcoming sessions for residents to weigh in: a Transportation and Mobility Commission meeting on Aug. 20 and a Public Facilities, Recreation and Infrastructure Commission meeting on Aug. 26.
Those interested in learning more about the project can click here for more information.