Community members, including candidates George Nickle and Zekiah Wright, appeared at the Fountain Avenue protest.
(photo courtesy of Zekiah Wright)

On Friday, Oct. 18, dozens of West Hollywood residents crowded the sidewalks on Fountain Avenue and marched down Sweetzer Avenue to City Hall, demanding that City Council members reconsider their stance on the street’s redesign which would potentially add protected bike lanes and remove some parking and traffic lanes. A counter protest was also present, advocating in favor of the proposed changes to Fountain Avenue.

“The protest demonstrates that many people in the community have legitimate questions which haven’t been answered by staff or by the supporters of the proposal,” Councilman John Heilman said. “How will the fire department and other emergency vehicles navigate the street? And what about the people who live on Fountain in buildings with no parking? Where are they supposed to go? And where are cyclists supposed to go when they reach the end of Fountain? The proposal dumps them onto La Cienega which won’t be safe for cyclists. In addition, the supporters have no answer to the fundamental question of where will the vehicles which are currently using Fountain go? Sunset and Santa Monica are thoroughly congested during rush hour. The reason the supporters haven’t answered these questions is because there aren’t any satisfactory answers.”

The issue has become the most hotly discussed in the race for two open seats on the West Hollywood City Council, with Mayor John Erickson and candidate Danny Hang supporting the city’s current initiatives. Each has pointed to recent traffic accidents as reasons to move forward with street improvements.

“Unfortunately, certain corporate actors like the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, advised by former Councilman John Duran, are using this issue to deflect away from their real goals this election season: overturning the minimum wage in WeHo,” Erickson said. “I was glad to see both sides of the conversations represented, but to be clear there have been over nine wrecks in two weeks on Fountain Avenue.  The speeding statistics dwarf that of surrounding streets and it has become a hazard to the community to the point where accidents are a way of life. We must do all we can to implement safety on the street, improve ADA accessibility for the sidewalks and ensure there is no more loss of life anywhere on our streets.”

Some council candidates, including George Nickle, Zekiah Wright and Jordan Cockeram, were present, as was former Councilman Steve Martin.

“We’re organizing because we feel unheard,” Martin said. “The community has shown up to every public meeting to oppose the project and have been totally dismissed by city leaders. The City Council made this decision without the people they’re elected to serve, and instead, they’re listening to outside special interest groups.”

The current council remains divided on Fountain Avenue’s future.

“I understand that there is frustration with how the Fountain project has been communicated and the changes it may pose for people – and yet, we all see that there is so much room for safety improvements,” Vice Mayor Chelsea Byers said. “If we can work together on our shared interest in creating more safety, we can make meaningful improvements to this neighborhood. The plans that center safety for all street users – motorists, pedestrians and cyclists alike – will continue to be my top focus.”

Meister pointed out that the Streets for All PAC, which promotes bicycle use and infrastructure, was supporting the reelection campaign of Erickson.

“The Streets for All PAC just contributed $35,000 to the IE for Mayor Erickson and against George Nickle,” Meister said. “It seems to me that what should be an issue where residents actually have a say, is now political. Taking away 150 parking spaces, making it more difficult to access driveways, slowing down emergency vehicles and leaving no room for necessary city services, like picking up the trash – not to mention re-routing the 30,000+ vehicles per day to other residential streets, is not smart planning.”

Meister took issue with the notion that people who are not supportive of Fountain Avenue bike lanes are against safety.

“It’s ridiculous and, quite frankly, a political bully tactic being promoted by bullies, who can’t handle someone disagreeing with them.

Last year, Meister proposed a Fountain Avenue streetscape project “to look at Fountain holistically and to create a real plan to make Fountain safer and greener,” looking to “accommodate the people who live in the area,” Meister said.

“I think everyone wants ADA compliant sidewalks – that’s also about safety – so, why is fixing sidewalks not the priority, especially since ADA is the law and the city is out of compliance? Because three of my colleagues, including Mayor Erickson, want to ram this protected bike lane through – no matter what the ramifications – to satisfy outside interests, like Streets for All,” Meister added. “These two issues – safety and bikes lanes – are not mutually exclusive, so please stop trying to conflate them. Everyone wants a safer Fountain. The disagreement is in how we get there. The recent accidents on Fountain would not have been prevented by a protected bike lane – these appeared to involved someone under the influence and road rage. To accuse those against the Fountain bike lane of being the cause of these accidents is creating a narrative that is both divisive and reckless, if not dangerous.”

Erickson also positioned safety as the primary concern.

“We can all do this right, together, and politics should never be in the conversation about safety because that is always my number one priority,” Erickson said.

There has not been a final decision on what the redesign of Fountain might look like, though a grant was accepted by the city that specifies the inclusion of bike lanes. It is expected that the next incarnation of the West Hollywood City Council will determine the street’s future.

A proposal for Fountain Avenue includes protected bike lanes and wider sidewalks, and would potentially reduce the street to two lanes. (photo by Rance Collins)