West Hollywood to make security features permanent on Fountain Avenue

West Hollywood will make a number of temporary safety features on Fountain Avenue permanent that have resulted in a significant reduction in collisions.

Last night, the municipal council authorized to make permanent the following:

• Fountain Avenue / Harper Avenue – An improved pedestrian crossing on Fountain (with flashing lights on the roadway and flashing lights on pedestrian crossing signs that are activated with pedestrian pushbuttons), a median on Fountain to prohibit the left turns at the intersection and only allow the right to turn the movements of the Harper approaches, and the bulbs on Harper to reduce the width of the path traveled.
• Avenue Fountain / Havenhurst Drive – Bulb-out and middle islands of triangular pork chops on Havenhurst to embellish the signs indicating the right turn only and an improved pedestrian crossing with a pedestrian refuge island on Fountain.
• Fountain Avenue / Hayworth Avenue – Bulb-out and mid islands of triangular pork chops on Hayworth to embellish signs indicating right turn only and an improved pedestrian crossing with a pedestrian refuge island on Fountain.
• Avenue Fountain / Avenue Formosa – Bulb-outs and triangular median islands of pork chops on Formosa to embellish the signs indicating the right turn only and an improved pedestrian crossing with a pedestrian refuge island on Fountain.
• Fountain Avenue / Detroit Street – An improved pedestrian crossing on Fountain with an island of pedestrian refuge and light bulbs on Detroit.
• Avenue Fountain / Avenue La Brea – Extension of the left turn pocket eastbound and conversion of the lane to the eastbound by a right turn lane only. Installation of a bulb on the southeast corner to reduce the reception lanes to one eastbound lane. Installation of a right turn lane westbound on Fountain.

In addition to the physical improvements described above, four radar speed feedback signs have been installed on Fountain Avenue.

Citing their success on Fountain Avenue, the city's public works department said it also plans to install yellow flashing hazard lights activated by a pedestrian push button) at intersections main streets that have a marked pedestrian crossing but no traffic light. These would include Santa Monica Boulevard at La Peer Drive, Hayworth Avenue, Greenacre Avenue and Poinsettia Square.

Traffic accidents in Fountain have been a major problem for some time, with residents' concerns having increased in September 2017 when a local resident was killed after being struck by a car as he passed through Fountain near Formosa.

The city has hired consultant Fehr & Peers to examine road safety issues on Fountain. The Fehr & Peers study reported that almost 66% of trips to Fountain involved drivers crossing West Hollywood.

A study of traffic accidents on Fountain from 2012 to 2016 determined that 41% of the 179 collisions were wide sides, which means that one vehicle crashed to the side of another as a car attempts to cross Fountain from a side street or take a turn. The second largest number (21%) involved rear-end collisions, and 14% were head-on collisions. City engineer Hany Demitri said an average of 35,000 cars drive along the fountain every day, an artery seen by residents as a neighborhood street and by others as an alternative to Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards for city-to-city traffic.

A note to the Department of Public Works City Council includes data from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department which shows a 42% reduction in the total number of collisions on Fountain between the 12 months from October 1, 2017 to October 1, 2018 (88 in total, including 41 involving injuries) and the 12 months from October 1, 2018 to October 1, 2019 (41 in total, including 23 involving injuries), when the temporary safety devices had been installed.

The Public Works Department does not plan to make temporary facilities permanent at the intersection of Fountain Avenue and Havenhurst Drive as the city plans to install a new traffic light there due to increased traffic. Expected construction of the residential and commercial project at 8150 Sunset Blvd.

The ministry also said that permanent light bulbs would only extend on streets that intersect with Fountain Avenue and would not extend into the pavement of Fountain Avenue as a permanent extinction on Fountain Avenue would obstruct the safe circulation of bikes along Fountain Avenue. .