The parking meters on South Santa Monica Boulevard that have been covered up during the North Santa Monica Boulevard reconstruction project will be uncovered in early June and on-street parking restored to both sides of the street. Three pedestrian scrambles will also be installed at the intersections of Rodeo, Camden and Bedford drives as part of a pilot project to create a more village-like environment.

The pilot project also eliminates one eastbound lane between Bedford and Beverly drives, with the goal of slowing down traffic and contributing to the village atmosphere. The plan includes 59 on-street parking spaces, an increase of 19 spaces over the preconstruction layout: 43 total spaces (27 preconstruction, 16 new) on the north side of the road, and 16 total spaces (13 preconstruction plus three new spaces) on the south side. The westbound left turn pocket added at Rodeo during construction will be retained. Three left-turn pockets added during construction (westbound at Bedford, eastbound at Camden, and eastbound at Rodeo) will be removed to accommodate parking.

Other improvements to South Santa Monica include straightening the roadway to minimize zigzags from merging traffic and provide wider lanes than pre-construction conditions. These improvements will increase the supply of on-street parking and provide additional parking buffers along the corridor. The restriping work is scheduled to take place from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., for weeknights May 23, 24, 25, 29, 30 and 31. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction during the work.

Changes to South Santa Monica Boulevard came out of recommendations by the Traffic and Parking Commission. The City Council has including funding in the Capital Improvement Program to develop a long-range streetscape project. In 2016, the City Council approved the removal of parking on S. Santa Monica, which has improved traffic flow during the reconstruction project. The North Santa Monica Boulevard reconstruction project is scheduled to be completed by late June.