New bike lanes will be installed on Santa Monica Boulevard. (photo by Cameron Kiszla)

The West Hollywood City Council approved two improvements to Santa Monica Boulevard on Sept. 23.

In a pair of 4-0 votes, the council elected to move forward with installing bike lanes between Doheny and Almont drives and with installing overhead decorative lanterns between Robertson Boulevard and Hancock Avenue. Councilman John Duran was absent.

The new 600-foot-long bike lanes will connect West Hollywood’s existing bike lanes on Santa Monica Boulevard to those in Beverly Hills.

“We advocated for our neighbors in Beverly Hills to install their lanes,” Mayor Pro Tempore Lindsey Horvath said. “I know they went through a whole process. The least we can do is connect that last piece from our city to theirs.”

City staff proposed four methods of creating the space necessary for bike lanes on both sides of the street: narrowing the median that divides traffic, eliminating street parking, a hybrid method of removing parking on the south side of the street while narrowing the median only on the north side, and creating a bike lane within the median.

The council chose to support the recommendations of the Transportation Commission and the Public Facilities Commission, which advocated for the hybrid method, as the Melrose Triangle development on the south side of the street will provide sufficient parking to replace the lost parking spaces. The council also supported painting the bike lanes green, something advocated for by multiple public speakers.

“Green lanes improve visibility and safety because motorists notice them much more clearly,” said Kevin Burton, of the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition.

The council members said they’d like to see work begin on the bike lanes as soon as possible, even though Jackie Rocco, the city’s director of public works, said removing the parking spaces might create issues with the construction vehicles that need additional room to enter and exit the Melrose Triangle site.

“The priority needs to be for people who are trying to bike safely, not whatever that temporary construction is,” Horvath said.

The project is expected to cost $264,000, according to the staff report.

Similar to the lights that shine above Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, West Hollywood plans to install overhead decorative lanterns on Santa Monica Boulevard. (photo by Cameron Kiszla)

The council will also pay up to $317,900 to Long Beach-based St. Nick’s Christmas Lighting and Décor for another Santa Monica Boulevard improvement, the installation of overhead decorative lanterns between Robertson Boulevard and Hancock Avenue.

Frankie Morales, CEO of St. Nick’s, said the 10-inch LED spheres are remote controlled and can change to any color except for brown and black, allowing them to be used for special occasions or in everyday situations.

“These are designed to be outdoor permanent fixtures all year long,” Morales said.

At Morales’ suggestion, the council chose to have the lights installed in a criss-cross pattern instead of in a zig-zag, as St. Nick’s did on Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood.

“I think criss-cross is more dramatic,” Morales said.

West Hollywood resident Larry Block, the lone public speaker, said he supports the lanterns and thinks they could help offset the seasonal slowdown many businesses face when daylight saving time ends.

“I’m so excited. These are so beautiful and so festive and so fun and what we’re all about,” Block said. “Put up a couple of lights, a few more people come in. Put a couple more police on patrol, and we’ll be all set.”