Glendale councilmember asks staff to study Los Angeles plan to remove lanes on Forest Lawn Drive

Councilmember K. Sakian used Glendale’s Jan. 15 special meeting to request that city staff investigate a Los Angeles proposal to remove two vehicle lanes on Forest Lawn Drive to install protected bike lanes, and to prepare a memo with options for Glendale to take a position.

Sakian said the Los Angeles proposal, unveiled Dec. 5 by a Los Angeles councilmember, lacks a traffic-sequencing analysis and could increase backups that reach the SR-134 freeway and affect Glendale and neighboring Burbank. He told the council he had been contacted by members of religious communities who are concerned the lane removal would affect funeral processions and holiday travel to cemeteries.

Sakian asked staff to "look into this issue" as soon as possible and to present a memo to the council that includes options and, if appropriate, an opportunity for the council to take formal action. City Manager Galani responded that staff would try to obtain a detailed update from the City of Los Angeles and share findings with the council by memo; if the council wishes to take formal action, a staff report would need to be drafted and scheduled under new business.

Council members did not vote on a formal position at the special meeting. Councilmembers expressed that the matter is time sensitive and asked staff to prioritize the request. The transcript records no deadline for the memo; Sakian said the request is time sensitive and prefers the item not wait until the next regular meeting.

The request links to cross-jurisdictional traffic impacts: Forest Lawn Drive changes proposed by Los Angeles could affect traffic flow into the SR-134 and have implications for Glendale residents, businesses and religious institutions that rely on the corridor.