Page 1 of 17CITY COUNCIL JULY 20, 2026 UNFINI SHED BUSINESS SUBJECT: WESTSIDE BUS CONNECTION AND PROPOSED LA CIENEGA BOULEVARD BUS/BIKE LANES PREPARED BY: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (Helen Collins, Director) (Tamar Fuhrer, AICP, Transportation & Mobility Manager) (David Fenn, AICP, Senior Planner ) _________________________________________________________________ _____ STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT: The City Council will receive a presentation on the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) Westside Bus Connection Project and proposed bus/bike lanes on La Cienega Boulevard and consider directing staff to communicate the City Council’s preferred option to the WSCCOG to proceed with design of bus speed and reliability improvements within West Hollywood , contingent on the participation of the City of Los Angeles , capital cost neutrality for the City, and inclusion of adjacent neighborhood traffic calming improvements in the project scope. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1) Receive and file a presentation on the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) Westside Bus Connection Project and bus/bike lanes proposed on La Cienega Boulevard . 2) Direct staff to communicate the City Council’s preferred option to the WSCCOG for proposed bus speed and reliability improvements within West Hollywood, including whether to proceed with design as recommended by the WSCCOG consultant , subject to the participation of the City of Los Angeles , capital cost neutrality for the City, and inclusion of adjacent neighborhood traffic calming improvements in the WSCCOG -funded project scope. 3) Direct staff to support other bus improvements along the La Cienega Boulevard corridor such as transit signal priority and improvements to bus AGENDA ITEM E.3 Page 2 of 17 stops and service regardless of bus lane implementation. 4) Direct staff to send a letter to Metro requesting they reduce headways on the Metro 105 bus from 10 -minute to 7.5 -minute peak hour headways and seek WSCCOG support for the same. BACKGROUND / ANALYSIS: The Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) includes the four smaller Westside Cities (Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood), two Los Angeles County Supervisorial Districts (SD3 and SD2), and the City of Los Angeles (primari ly CD5 and CD11). In December 2022, the WSCCOG Board of Directors voted to allocate the majority of Westside Measure M Subregional Equity Program (SEP) funding to fund bus infrastructure improvements to several corridors across the Westside —up to $100 million total and approximately $6.6 million in the near term. In January 2024, the West Hollywood City Council directed staff to advocate for bus infrastructure upgrades in the West Hollywood vicinity and along the La Cienega Boulevard and La Brea Avenue corridors specifically as part of the WSCCOG process as well as the separate Metro Countywide BRT Program. Since then, the WSCCOG launched the Westside Bus Connection project, which includes community outreach, feasibility analysis, and design of quick build bus improvements for segments of three major Corridors, including La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood and neighboring cities. The WSCCOG plans to provide partial or full construction funding, pending final design and construction costs. The Westside Bus Connection Project aims to deliver bus infrastructure upgrades to the Westside's busiest corridors by late 2027, in time for the 2028 LA Olympic and Paralympic Games. The project is focused on three segments: • Santa Monica Boulevard (west of Beverly Hills) • Sepulveda Boulevard (between UCLA and Westchester) • La Cienega Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard (West Hollywood to Westchester) These are among the busiest corridors in the region, and improvements could provide long-term benefits for riders while preparing the Westside for an estimated influx of visitors during LA28. Since the original corridors were selected, some corridor segments Page 3 of 17 have been de -scoped, resulting in prioritized sections for WSCCOG analysis, community outreach , and design work. The latest map of the prioritized sections is included in Figure 1. Figure 1: WSCCOG Westside Bus Connection Program Map (May 2026) Page 4 of 17 Proposed design concepts under consideration for the project overall include a combination of physical modifications, such as bus lanes, and operational modifications, such as transit signal priority. The La Cienega corridor was subdivided into a series of smaller segments to account for jurisdictional boundaries and varying roadway widths, with different recommendations and design alternatives under consideration. For example, some portions of La Cienega Boulevard south of West Hollywood have wider parking lan es and existing peak hour parking restrictions, enabling the implementation of a peak -hour bus/bike lane with minimal physical impacts, similar to the current treatments on La Brea Avenue. In the West Hollywood segment of La Cienega Boulevard, however, the parking lanes and curb - to-curb widths are both narrower, creating some constraints in designing transit lanes. The alternatives developed by WSSCOG vary greatly, including: • Modifications to parking lanes vs. travel lanes • Full-time vs. peak period bus /bike lanes • Facilities in both directions vs. southbound only The alternatives under consideration are detailed in the community outreach slides, tradeoff matrix, and 10% design concepts attached to this report (Attachments A, B, C, and D). WSCCOG Consultant Recommendation For the segment of La Cienega Boulevard that includes West Hollywood and adjacent portions of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, the WSCCOG consultant team is recommending replacing the outer general -purpose lanes with all -day bus/bike lanes. This alternative increase s the potential for major transit travel time savings with relatively modest impacts for vehicle travel delays. Replacing a parking lane with a bus/bike lane is infeasible as a quick build treatment due to the narrow cross section of La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood . Overall, all -day transit priority lanes are recommended by the WSCCOG consultant team from Romaine Street to Airdrome Street while peak -hour Page 5 of 17 transit priority lanes are recommended from Airdrome Street to Cadillac Avenue. In addition to proposed all -day and peak -hour bus/bike lanes, the WSCCOG team is also recommending short queue jump lanes and transit signal priority (TSP) at several locations along La Cienega Boulevard, including two locations in West Hollywood. These include the La Cienega Boulevard & Holloway Drive and La Cienega Boulevard &Melrose Avenue intersections. Queue jump lanes allow buses to use a short, dedicated lane near an intersection and separate traffic signal movement so they can bypass queuing vehicle traffic at intersections. This treatment would require public outreach and additional deliberation, since it is a fairly uncommon treatment in Southern California, and unfamiliar to many. Figure 2 illustrates sample queue jump lane and transit signal priority (TSP) operations . Figure 2: Example Queue jump lanes and transit signal priority (TSP) illustration (Source: WSCCOG). Page 6 of 17 TSP is more common locally and adjusts traffic signal timing when a bus is approaching, helping reduce the time buses spend waiting at red lights. This treatment is currently operational for Metro’s Route 4 bus on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Taken together, these improvements can reduce delays at intersections, improve travel time and reliability, and help buses stay on schedule. Combined , the WSCCOG team estimates these changes would reduce transit travel times from Romaine Street to Cadillac Avenue for users traveling the whole length of the corridor during the peak hour by approximately nine minutes southbound and 10 minutes northbound. This change is estimated to increase vehicle travel times across the same area by three minutes northbound and no increased time southbound during the morning peak hours, and by 5 minutes northbound and 1 minute southbound during the evening peak hours. While these benefits and impacts are estimated across the length of the corridor, most users travel on much shorter segments of the roadway at a time and would experience less of both the benefits and delays individually. Emergency vehicles are permitted in bus/bike lanes and would experience similar travel time savings to transit vehicles. Additionally, transit priority treatments have additional benefits beyond travel time savings as dedicated lanes and related improvemen ts make bus service more reliable for riders and more attractive as a sustainable mobility option and first last mile connection to the new Metro D Line Station at Wilshire/La Cienega just south of West Hollywood in Beverly Hills. Table 1 details the estimated transit and vehicle travel time savings and vehicle delay impacts for each segment of the corridor and Figure 3 details the geographic extents of the improvements proposed to the corridor and corridor -wide transit travel time savings from the WSCCOG recommended alternative . Proposed improvements on La Cienega Boulevard move off of the corridor at Cadillac Avenue to follow the route of Metro’s Route 105 bus service but return to the corridor further south around the Metro E Line (Expo). Page 7 of 17 Segment Transit Travel Time (minutes) Vehicle Travel Time (minutes) Existing With Project (Estimated) Change Existing, AM / PM With Project (Estimated) AM / PM Change AM / PM North of Romaine St NB 1 1 <1 1 / 1 1 / 1 <1 / <1 SB 1 1 <1 1 / 1 1 / 5 <1 / 4 Romaine to San Vicente NB 9 5 -4 5 / 6 8 / 10 3 / 4 SB 8 5 -3 5 / 6 6 / 6 1 / <1 San Vicente to Airdrome NB 10 6 -4 6 / 6 6 / 6 <1 / <1 SB 10 6 -4 6 / 6 6 / 6 <1 / <1 Airdrome to Cadillac NB 3 2 -1 3 / 2 3 / 2 <1 / <1 SB 5 3 -2 2 / 2 2 / 2 <1 / <1 Table 1: Estimated Peak Hour Transit Travel Time Benefits and Vehicle Travel Time Trade -Offs of WSCCOG Recommended Improvements to the La Cienega Corridor (Source: WSCCOG). In addition to the WSCCOG consultant recommended alternative of all -day bus/bike lanes, three additional alternatives are under consideration in the northern segment of La Cienega Boulevard from Romaine Street to San Vicente Boulevard: • Alternative 2: Converting the outer general -purpose lanes in each direction to bus/bike lanes in the peak hour only • Alternative 3: Widening the southbound parking lane and narrowing and realigning the other lanes to accommodate a southbound only peak -hour bus/bike lane • Alternative 4: Removing the center turn lane and widening the parking lanes to accommodate peak -hour bus/bike lanes in both directions Page 8 of 17 Figure 3: WSCCOG Consultant Recommended Improvements to the La Cienega Corridor and Associated Estimated Peak Hour Transit Travel Time Improvements (Source: WSCCOG). Figure 4 includes illustrative renderings of each alternative under consideration. The La Cienega Blvd. Tradeoff Matrix summarizes some of the tradeoffs of the alternatives under consideration for this segment as analyzed by the WSCCOG consultant (Attachme nt B). In general, Alternative 2 would have similar benefits and impacts to the WSCCOG - recommended alternative during the peak hour but would not benefit off -peak transit Page 9 of 17 service. Outside of the peak periods, vehicular delay would decrease in the general - purpose lanes, while the benefits to bus service would continue to be realized throughout the day. Alternative 3 would only provide transit travel time savings in the southbound direction, but would have a lesser impact on vehicular delay , as it would retain all existing vehicle travel lanes. To accomplish this, both the bus lane and general -purpose lanes would be narrower, which could reduce travel speeds along the corridor. Additionally, this alternative would be more expensive and take longer to implement, since it would require realignment and modifications to traffic signals. Alternative 4 would preserve north -south vehicle capacity and allow for wider and more effective bus lanes than Alternative 3, but it would require prohibiting left turns at four minor intersections and would also have impacts the costs and timelines, especially due to signal impacts. Prohibiting left turns at minor streets could also exacerbate delay and queuing at major intersections where left turns are allowed. Figure 4: Alternatives Under Consideration. The top center image corresponds to the WSCCOG Recommendation and Alternative 2, the top right image corresponds to Alternative 3, and the bottom image corresponds to Alternative 4. (Source: WSCCOG) The alternatives proposed are constrained by a scope that could be achieved within a quick -build context , which limits options to those that can be accommodated from curb - Page 10 of 17 to-curb. More transformative options could allow for constructing bus lanes without reducing vehicular or parking lanes, however, this would require changes to the entire right-of-way, which would be a substantially lengthier process and more expensive alternative. This type of scope would require funding beyond that currently allocated to WSCCOG, and a timeline that extends beyond the LA28 Games. City Council could also choose to withdraw from constructing bus lanes within its vicinity and still provide dedicated transit lanes during the LA28 Games vis -à-vis an event traffic control plan for temporary bus lanes. This would not be within the WSCCOG scope and would require dedicated City resources to implement. Due to schedule constraints and a complex multi -jurisdictional approach, the WSCCOG consultant team produced a 30% design drat for only the consultant recommended alternative. These are attached to this report at Attachment E. Should the City Council elect to proceed with one of the other alternatives, the WSCCOG consultant would revise these plans accordingly pending agreement from the WSCCOG. Community Outreach: The WSCCOG held two rounds of community outreach on this project to date. The first round from February to April 2026 focused on the project overall, general treatments under consideration, and locations of particular interest. Outreach events were held throughout the Westside Cities subregion and both in -person and virtually, including the following: • Key Group Meeting #1: Thursday, February 19, 2026 (Virtual) • Workshop #1: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 (West Hollywood) • Workshop #2: Saturday, March 28, 2026 (Culver City) • CicLAvia: Saturday, April 26 , 2026 (West LA) The second round of community outreach was conducted in May and June 2026 and included the following: • Key Group Meeting #2: Thursday, May 28 , 2026 (Virtual) Page 11 of 17 • Workshop #3: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 (Beverly Hills) • Workshop #4: Saturday, June 6, 2026 (West LA) • Workshop #5: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 (Virtual) Online surveys were conducted during both rounds of community outreach and project materials were shared through both WSCCOG and individual city channels. In West Hollywood, promotion efforts included City social media posts, calendar entries, press releas es, an Engage WeHo page, flyers at City facilities, and announcements at City Council and Transportation Commission meetings. Overall, the WSCCOG received 287 survey responses with 207 respondents providing open -ended feedback. Feedback during WSCCOG -led public outreach highlighted the following priorities: • Respondents strongly supported dedicated bus lanes. Replacing all -day on -street parking with bus lanes ranked highest among four options for improving bus efficiency, followed closely by replacing general travel lanes, swapping peak -hour vehicle travel lan es, and "no changes". The open -ended responses reinforced this result . Frequent and daily riders were the loudest voices here, but infrequent riders echoed the same logic by saying that they would ride if speed and reliability improved . • Multiple respondents also called for automated camera enforcement of bus lanes, noting that drivers routinely ignore painted lanes and that without enforcement, dedicated lanes will underperform. • Participants emphasized speed and reliability as the top priorities for bus investment. More reliable service and faster service ranked as the top two priorities for improvement well ahead of safer crossings and pedestrian access and clearer signage and wa yfinding. Open -ended responses echoed this ranking. • Multiple respondents reported bus bunching on Metro Bus Line 105, and several noted that late -night service gaps force them into rideshare. Page 12 of 17 • 31 respondents raised the need for more frequent bus service, with many arguing that dedicated lanes alone will not improve the rider experience without shorter headways . • Others pointed to late -night and weekend service gaps as a structural barrier, particularly for shift workers and younger riders who currently rely on rideshare when buses stop running. • More than 35 respondents raised protected bike lanes unprompted, making it the most common topic outside of bus lanes. • Respondents consistently identified La Cienega as the highest -priority corridor, with over a quarter of all short answer responses explicitly calling out the corridor in their response and m any participants identif ying the need to connect West Hollywood to the D Line and E Line stations . • A vocal minority opposed lane conversion outright. This group skewed toward non - riders and rare riders aged 50+. • Of the 45 respondents that reported not riding the bus, about 70% said they would not consider riding even if service was more convenient, reliable, or faster. About 72% of non -rider participants also expressed clear opposition to bus improvements in their written responses. • Current and prospective riders named poor bus stop conditions and safety as a “dealbreaker. ” Responses painted a picture of bus stops that are hostile to riders: no shade, broken or absent shelters, overflowing trash, no real -time arrival information, and narrow sidewalks A memo summarizing the Community Survey Analysis is included as Attachment F . The WSCCOG Team was scheduled to gather additional community input at the CicLAvia “Meet the Hollywoods” event at the West Hollywood Hub on July 19, 2026, but findings from this event were not available at the time of writing . West Hollywood stakeholders and community members interested in project updates can follow the Engage WeHo page for the project and the WSCCOG project website , in addition to signing up for WSCCOG e-mail updates . Page 13 of 17 Transportation and Mobility Commission Feedback The Transportation and Mobility Commission received a presentation on th e project at their July 17, 2026 meeting. Commissioners generally supported some version of bus lanes on La Cienega and noted the importance of transit reliability improvements from proposed bus lanes in addition to travel time savings , the potential to fill a gap in north south bike infrastructure with proposed bus/bike lanes , and potential traffic calming benefits from 24 -hour bus lanes from reducing roadway width during off -peak hours. Commissioners requested more information on transit ridership , intersection operations, and public participation data. Public comments at the Transportation and Mobility Commission meeting were mixed , with no consistent preference among commenters. Estimated Diversion Analysis The WSCCOG consultant team is preparing an analysis of estimated diversion analysis from alternatives under consideration. This analysis relied on the City of West Hollywood ’s existing Travel Demand Model to estimate how much vehicle traffic would be displaced from La Cienega Boulevard by proposed transit improvements and where it would likely be diverted to. While the final report on these findings was not complete at the time of writing, a summary of key findings is included below. For Alternative 1 (the WSCCOG consultant recommended alternative ), the model predicts that approximately 30% of daily trips would shift off of La Cienega Boulevard with similar traffic diversion patterns during the AM and PM peak hours and midday. This estimated diversion would be most impactful relative to existing roadway capacities on Sunset Boulevard West of Holloway, on Santa Monica Boulevard between Robertson Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard , and on Melrose Avenue between La Cienega Boulevard and West Knoll Drive. Alternative s 2 (peak hour only bus lanes) would have similar impacts though only during peak hours. The model predicts that Alternative 4 (widening parking lanes and restricting left turns outside of major intersections) would shift less than two percent of trips off of La Cienega South of Holloway but could result in queuing impacts at remaining signalized intersections which could require design changes to address. Figure 5 shows where the model estimates traffic volumes would increase and decrease respectively with the WSCCOG consultant recommended alternative. Page 14 of 17 Figure 5: Daily Traffic Diversion Estimate from Alternative 1. SB 79 Impact Based on staff’s review, the proposed La Cienega Boulevard bus/bike lane project does not appear to have been identified as a project -level transit route or extension in the applicable RTP by January 1, 2026, nor does it appear to have been included in the FTIP with committed construction funding for SB 79 mapping purposes. Staff will confirm this interpretation with WSCCOG and SCAG. Next Steps In addition to the information presented in this report, the WSCCOG team is developing additional modeling on where traffic diversion from proposed improvements is estimated to occur based on the more locally sensitive West Hollywood City Traffic Model. With travel lane reduction, some vehicular traffic may re -route off of La Cienega Blvd and instead use adjacent streets as cut -through for perceived time savings. Based on the Page 15 of 17 analysis results, the WSCCOG consultant team may recommend limited traffic calming improvements along side streets in the vicinity as part of this project to reduce neighborhood intrusion from the proposed transit priority improvements. WSCCOG staff have confirmed that funding for these improvements can be included in the project scope provided they are proximate to the La Cienega corridor and its intersections with side streets. Additionally, the efficacy of these solutions is contingent on participation of the other jurisdictions along La Cienega Boulevard. The City of Beverly Hills does not anticipate an update on their participation until after the West Hollywood City Council Meeting on July 20. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) would determine the City of Los Angeles’ preferred alternative . A decision -making timeline has been requested by staff from LADOT. Staff recommends West Hollywood’s participation be contingent on City of Los Angeles’ participation at a minimum, and ideally both City of Los Angeles’ and City of Beverly Hills’ participation. Should the other cities elect to withdraw from the project, the benefits to the corridor for transit users and cyclists would be minimal and at the expense of more substantive impacts to other modes. If Beverly Hills were to withdraw, but Los Angeles continue s to participate, staff recommends further evaluation of transit priority treatments. If the City Council elects to proceed with any of the alternatives under consideration, the WSCCOG team would proceed with final design from Summer 2026 to Winter 2027 and construction would be expected to occur in late 2027. Staff recommend additional Cit y- led community outreach should the Council elect to proceed with design and implementation of one of the alternatives, especially around any proposed traffic calming improvements on side streets. CONFORMANCE WITH VISION 2020 AND THE GOALS OF THE WEST HOLLYWOOD GENERAL PLAN : This item is consistent with the Primary Strategic Goal (s) (PSG) and/or Ongoing Strategic Program (s) (OSP) of: Page 16 of 17 • OSP -12: Actively Participate in Regional Issues. • OSP -4: Transportation System Improvement. In addition, t his item is compliant with the following goal(s) of the West Hollywood General Plan: • M-2: Collaborate on regional transportation solutions that improve mobility, quality of life and environmental outcomes. • M-1: Develop a world -class transit system in West Hollywood. EVALUATION PROCESS ES: If the Council approves, staff will engage with jurisdictional partners at the WSCCOG through the WSCCOG Transportation Working Group (TWG) and Design Working Group (DWG) to understand whether the Cities of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles plan to proceed with improvements in their jurisdictions . If at least the City of Los Angeles proceeds with design of improvements in their jurisdiction, staff will direct the WSCCOG to proceed with design of the alternative selected by Council. If design work proceeds based on the above, staff will coordinate with jurisdictional partners on outstanding design decisions, review updated plans as they are developed , and support joint grant applications if needed . Any recommendations from the staff -level DWG would go to the full WSCCOG Board of Directors for Approval, and Staff will inform the City Council and the Council’s representatives to the WSCCOG Board of Directors as the situation evolves. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND HEALTH: The implementation of additional transit infrastructure upgrades on La Cienega Boulevard would help the City meet its climate goals by making existing transit faster, more reliable, more frequent, and more competitive with driving, encouraging residents and visitors to consider more sustainable modes of transportation . Dedicating a travel lane to transit vehicles has been demonstrated to increase the efficiency and throughput of major arterial roadways and encourage transit ridership on similar previous Metro projects. Any transit speed and reliability improvements could improve sustainable access to the recently opened Wilshire/La Cienega Metro D Line station in Beverly Hills as well as future D line stations under construction in Century City and Westwood. Page 17 of 17 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The WSCCOG held two rounds of community engagement in March and June of 2026 as described above . If the Council elects to proceed with transit improvements on La Cienega , staff recommends additional City -led outreach prior to construction of any proposed improvements. In particular, any proposed neighborhood traffic calming improvements proposed as part of this pro ject should be vetted through additional targeted community outreach to the adjacent neighborhoods. OFFICE OF PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS / TRANSPORTATION & MOBILITY DIVISION FISCAL IMPACT : None at this time. Staff will incorporate activities related to this item into currently budgeted work plans. ATTACHMENT: Attachment A - WSCCOG Community Workshop Slides (June 2026) Attachment B - La Cienega Blvd. Tradeoff Matrix (West Hollywood Portion) Attachment C - Existing Conditions Technical Memo Attachment D - 10% Design Concepts Attachment E - WSCCOG Recommended Alternative 30% Design Draft Attachment F - WSCCOG Community Survey Analysis Memo