Commission backs Diamond Street restriping and protected bike lanes to improve Redondo Union High School access

The Redondo Beach Public Works and Sustainability Commission recommended that the City Council authorize staff to proceed with design and construction documents for a Diamond Street restriping project intended to improve safety and access to Redondo Union High School.

Staff presented a consultant study showing high parking utilization west of Del Amo Street and heavy bicycle traffic at several school access points. Ryan Lou, city traffic engineer, said the study identified 17 crashes on the school frontages in the past five years and that injury crashes were more likely to involve cyclists.

The consultant’s recommendations include protected bike lanes (parking‑protected or bollard‑protected) on key segments of Diamond, buffered bike lanes where parking must be retained, narrowed travel lanes to slow vehicle speeds, curb extensions and quick‑build median refuge islands at select stop‑controlled intersections, and added bike parking near campus entrances. The plan would remove about one space in the heavily used west‑of‑Del Amo block and about 11 spaces east of Del Amo, where utilization is lower, to enable protected bike lanes and improve visibility.

At Seahawk Way, staff proposed a dedicated bike left‑turn lane feeding a bike entrance to the campus, and noted the school staff cooperated on modifying an on‑site metal gate to improve bike access to campus bike parking. Staff said a separate school‑led on‑campus pickup/drop‑off redesign on Francesca/El Redondo West remains under district control and could complement the city’s street changes.

Public comment included many nearby residents who described chronic congestion, cars blocking driveways and safety concerns during school peak hours on Vincent Street and in Vincent Park. Several speakers supported the bicycle improvements and added bike parking; residents near Vincent Park urged caution about repurposing curb space there.

Commissioner Bajaj moved to forward the staff recommendations for Diamond Street to the City Council for the next design/construction stage; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call vote (Commissioners Simpson, Bajaj, Anderson, Nafisi, Bealey and Chair Arata voted yes). Commissioners asked staff to reconsider some proposed changes to Vincent Park after hearing community concerns but approved moving forward with the Diamond Street components that would be implemented during a planned slurry seal resurfacing project.

Staff said the work is intended as a “quick‑build/short‑term” project tied to the scheduled slurry seal to allow restriping and curb extensions without major curb reconstruction. Staff will return with final plans, cost estimates and a recommended schedule for council consideration.