Improving walkability without increasing congestion
By Chad Winthrop
San Vicente Boulevard is one of the signatures of Brentwood, lined with coral trees and frequented by joggers running through the grassy median. Often, however, the ground gets a bit muddy, roots from trees poke through the grass presenting a hazard and waste ends up scattered in areas due to lack of bins. In addition, lack of crosswalks make getting from one side of the street to the other a challenge in certain areas.
At the May 8 Brentwood Community Council meeting, the San Vicente Walkabity Committee discussed ways to make the street and grassy median more attractive to pedestrians without worsening congestion.
Ideas discussed include changing signal timing to allow more time for pedestrian crossing, installing curb extensions to shorten crossing distances and adding a pedestrian crosswalk between Saltair Street and Montana Avenue.
In addition, the committee discussed possible improvements to the grassy median, such as protecting coral trees and fixing gopher holes.
In improving the walkability of San Vicente as a whole, the committee said it hopes to activate and bring more foot traffic to the west end of the boulevard.
