Here’s why this proposal is so bad…
New Problems that the plan will create:
Traffic, traffic, and more traffic.
Taking away a highway that services 2.5 million cars a month, while also adding thousands of new cars — what could go wrong?
Eliminating the 90 freeway will increase traffic congestion and gridlock in numerous ways:
1) Increase of traffic on already over-taxed surface streets that provide alternate routes like
Culver Blvd.
Lincoln Blvd.
Jefferson Blvd.
Inglewood Blvd.
Slauson
Sepulveda
Centinela
2) Massive congestion problems on the 405 north and south, as well as all the exits north and south of the 90. The 90 distributes traffic from the 405 north and south across 10 other exits. Taking it away would make travel on these already troublesome routes almost impossible.
3) Increase of cut through traffic on small residential streets (AKA "the Waze effect”). This type of traffic has proven to be a real problem for some neighborhoods, as well as a serious danger to children and pets as people speed through residental streets to find new ways around gridlock.
4) The problems will only be exacerbated by 8000 more cars created by the 4000 units that the develpoment will create.
negation of previous traffic impact reports (playa vista, marina developments, etc) which reference 90 as a way that the
i’d also add that the 90 has been referenced for traffic mitigation in every traffic impact report for major new developments (in Marina del Rey, Del Rey, Playa Vista, etc)
getting rid of it basically negates all the traffic gridlock failsafes that were previously promised to residents.
reduced access to LAX for people north of the 90 like San Fernando Valley - the 405 south during the day already has the two right/western lanes at a standstill as traffic queues to exit to Washington blvd and Venice blvd westbound - these queues are a mile back or more - without the 90 - the backup on the 405 south for cars waiting to exit on those two streets will grow - greatly increasing traffic and travel times to LAX from the north
Loss of FEMA access routes
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Reduction of noise and pollution.
One of the purported benefits of the plain is to reduce "noise and air pollution". However the proposal admits this would be 10+ years off, optimistically. Electric vehicles virtually eliminate the problems of noise and air pollution, and by the the time the deconstruction of the 90 would occur, Caligornia will well be on its way to EV-dominant transportation system. In fact, “a measure approved by the California Air Resources Board in August 2022 requires all new cars, SUVs and pickup trucks sold in the state to generate zero tailpipe emissions by 2035.” This means that any arguments about noise and air pollution would likely be moot shortly after the completion of the project.
What’s really behind this plan?
The short answer is: 4000 units of housing. There is big money in development. 4000 units of housing is literally billions of dollars in construction contracts, etc. Big money likes to influence politicians to help their cause. In the case of the Marina Central Park plan, they have cleverly used the guise of a park as their cover. The bottom line is they’ve run out of land to develop on the westside of LA. So not the are looking to tear down a freeway and build there. Quite simply, this will put money in the pockets of developers and decrease safety and quality of life for citizens.
How much will this plan cost?
Billions.
Who pays? you
Who benefits: developers
Loss of Evacuation Routes
Marina del Rey, Venice, and Playa del Rey are in a tsunami hazard zone. The Marina freeway is a large, relatively congestion-free highway that runs from these low-lying hazard zones to safe higher ground. Elimination of this route would prevent evacuation for residents in case of a tsunami, and also prevent emergency help from coming in. In fact, the loss of SR-90 would leave just a single 2-lane southern evacuation route for over 50,000 residents (in the area bounded by Venice Blvd, Centinela, Ballona Creek, and the Pacific ocean). This would be the 2 lanes of Lincoln Blvd that cross over the Ballona Creek (at a low elevation, so they could easily be inundated by tsunami event). These lanes are borderline impassable during rush hour — imagine them during a mass evacuation.
Diminished access to emergency medical care
The construction of the new expanded Cedars Sinai hospital and Emergency Room — which is literally at the end of the 90 freeway — is expected to be completed by 2026. With the closure of the 90 freeway, ambulances and citizens all across the westside would lose a fast (and potentially lifesaving route) to reach what will be one of the premiere ERs and medical centers in Southern California.
Reduced reponses times for Sheriff’s Department.
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Harm to local businesses
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Release of hazardous pollutants and damage to Ballona Wetlands
.Demolition of a large structure like the 90 fwy, which runs through multiple residential areas, has the potential to release a massive amount of dangerous particulate into the air. The construction of 400 units of housing will mean massive infrastructure upgrades and construction equipment along the sensivive Ballona Creeek and Ballona Wetlands.
People will walk and use bikes instead
Unlike the proposals they reference, the area covered by the 90 is not a dense urban area where walking and biking can easily replace cars. (Walking from Marina to Culver terminus would
There’s no mass transit. But they are a way of life here, and for the foreseeable future, we need them. One day we may all be getting around via self-driving cars and drones, but that day is not here yet, and for the moment the elimination of functional roads does not benefit the people of our
Is this really a “grassroots” effort, as they claim in the press?
No. PACs typically have a centralized structure with a small group of decision-makers who control the allocation of funds and strategy. This is in contrast to grassroots movements, which emphasize decentralized decision-making and participation from a broad base of individuals. In this case, it would be the citizens of the areas which this terrible plan would affect.
Moreover, grassroots movements often represent a diverse range of voices and perspectives from various socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. In contrast, PACs primarily represent the interests of their major donors, potentially excluding marginalized or underrepresented communities.
Grassroots movements also emphasize community engagement, education, and empowerment to effect change at the grassroots level. PACs, on the other hand, focus on direct political influence through campaign contributions, advertisements, and lobbying efforts, which can be seen as a more transactional approach to politics.
2. Refutations of the alleged “benefits”, and falsehoods in the justifications of the plan
Eliminating an “unused” highway to nowhere
The proposal says on their own site that SR-90 serves as an “extended on and off ramp for the 405). It’s unclear why they think this is a point in their favor. This extended on and off ramp happens to slow and distribute the massive influx on and off of the 405. They claim on their site that “motorists will have the option to use Jefferson, Culver, and Washington to reach the 405." If anyone has tried to use those roads during rush hour, you’ll understand that this solution is clearly comical. Imagine adding 1000,000 card.
CLAIM: People will walk and use bikes instead, or they will live where they work
Unlike the proposals they reference, the area covered by the 90 is not a dense urban area where walking and biking can easily replace cars. (Walking from Marina to Culver terminus would
There’s no mass transit. But they are a way of life here, and for the foreseeable future, we need them. One day we may all be getting around via self-driving cars and drones, but that day is not here yet, and for the moment the elimination of functional roads does not benefit the people of our.
playa vista is a community with live nad work but
3. Questions about the motives, backings, feasability, and cost of the plan.
The “case studies” references in the SFA plan are an apples-to-oranges comparison
Billions.
Who pays? you
Who benefits: developers
What is “Streets for All”, the group that is spearheading the proposal?
Well for starters, they are a PAC (political action committee). This means that they raise funds and donate them to politicians to influence elections and positions.
They are not simply a group trying to make a park for people to enjoy, as they’d like you to believe.
This is a coordinated, complex effort and influence campaign, that is NOT taking into account the vast majority of opinions from the neighborhood.
Loss of access to coastline and coastal commerce
By essentially closing off easy access to the coastline and coastal commerce, the ‘Streets for All’ proposal sends a clear message — whether intentional or not — to residents of typically African-American neighborhoods like Ladera Heights, View Park and Baldwin Hills, as well as neighborhoods undergoing revitalization like Inglewood and View Heights:
“WE DON’T WANT YOU HERE.”
They may think the streets are for everyone but the coastline apparently isn’t.