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LADOT recommends removing most peak‑hour lanes, cites safety and bike/transit opportunities
Summary
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation recommended removing or repurposing significant stretches of peak‑hour lanes, telling the Transportation Committee that most such lanes sit on streets with the highest crash rates and could be converted to parking, bike lanes or bus priority.
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation on Monday recommended removing or repurposing large portions of the city's peak‑hour travel lanes after a citywide review found the restrictions often fail to reduce congestion and sit disproportionately on streets with high crash rates.
Mackenzie Racy, LADOT assistant general manager for external affairs, told the Transportation Committee that of the roughly 220 miles of peak‑hour lanes citywide, 86 percent are located on the city's High Injury Network, the corridors with the highest number of serious collisions. "On streets where the volume is low and the roadway width is sufficient, we can remove peak hour lanes to accommodate both full time parking and new bike facilities," Racy said. "On streets where transit service is frequent, we can even implement peak hour bus lanes to improve service reliability by up to 15%."
Crystal Killian, LADOT principal transportation engineer, outlined the department's prioritization. "DOT does recommend that all peak hour lanes on the HIN be removed and look at those opportunities for the bike and bus opportunities," she said, noting a phased approach that begins with low‑volume HIN corridors that can be converted quickly using existing Vision Zero funds.
The department said the first phase would focus on corridors on the High Injury Network where traffic volumes are below capacity; that phase could be executed largely with existing Vision Zero funding and take roughly six months once field crews are available. Killian said about 20 miles on the HIN were candidate corridors for lane removal and about seven miles on the HIN were candidates for adjusted restriction hours. She also said roughly 129 miles of the affected lanes overlap with the city's bike network and about 53 miles overlap with bus network designations.
Council members asked about implementation timelines, funding and community outreach. Racy said low‑impact lane conversions could be done quickly with existing resources but that higher‑volume corridors would need more traffic analysis, public engagement and additional funding if pavement work or protected bike facilities were required. "Every time we talk about this, it's a bit of a Rorschach test," she said, describing a decision flow that first screens for safety issues, then mobility guidance, then traffic volumes to determine scope and engagement.
The committee voted 2–0 to approve the DOT report. Councilwoman Heather Hutt, chair of the Transportation Committee, cast an aye; Council member Hernandez also voted yes; Council member Park was absent.
The department said it will work directly with each council office on corridors in members' districts and will return with more detailed corridor lists, pavement assessments and fiscal impacts for higher‑volume reconfigurations.
