The following is a response by CD 11 Councilmember Mike Bonin to Brentwood News on Feb. 15, regarding the latest agreement between the City and Brentwood School
I am ecstatic about the agreement with the Brentwood School, which will reduce the school’s traffic on Sunset by a whopping and unprecedented 40%. As far as I can tell, this is the biggest traffic reduction any elected official in Los Angeles has ever gotten a private institution to agree to. This is a huge and substantial accomplishment, and it will have a noticeable impact on Sunset traffic, making a difference in the quality of life for anyone who uses the corridor.
I understand some people are quibbling with some of the details, but this is the biggest impact anyone has ever made on reducing traffic on Sunset, and I stand by it and I am damn proud of it. Not only in the traffic reduction unheard of, it is verifiable. This sharp traffic reduction will be enforced with daily traffic counts, submitted to and verified by an independent third party monitor, and certified by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. This builds on the great traffic reduction and neighborhood protection requirements incorporated into agreements the school previously reached with the Brentwood Homeowners Association and the Residential Neighbors of Brentwood School. I am grateful to Brentwood School for showing such willingness to be a good neighbor, and for its leadership in addressing traffic and helping implement my “Sunset Standard.”
This is one part of my multi-faceted Sunset Traffic Improvement Initiative. In December, I secured $2 million to fund two large traffic improvements efforts suggested by the community – improving the timing of signals and restriping access lanes to freeway. I also asked LADOT to pursue another community-suggested proposal: making one or more lanes of Sunset reversible during peak-hour traffic. We also continue to work with the new Sunset Educational Corridor Association, a collaborative of the local schools that I hope will grow into a genuine Transportation Management Association that will provide and coordinate transportation services in and around the corridor.
