Culver City : Higuera Street Traffic Plan

The city Redevelopment Agency has directed city staff to implement measures to restrict the volume and speed of traffic on Higuera Street.

The agency stopped short of agreeing to residents’ demands that a barrier be erected to restrict northbound traffic.

On Monday night, the agency heard from several angry Higuera Street residents who said they are concerned about noise and safety hazards from cars and trucks that use the street as a thoroughfare from Jefferson Boulevard to the Santa Monica Freeway. They asked that a barrier be erected to block the northbound lanes of Higuera Street at Hayden Avenue, and divert traffic along Hayden Avenue to National Boulevard.

But residents on three side streets northeast of Higuera Street argued that vehicles trying to bypass the barrier to get back to Higuera Street would increase traffic along their streets. City Engineer Jim Davis added that police and fire officials were opposed to the barrier plan because it would force them to use alternate routes, slowing their emergency response time.

The measures to be implemented include lowering the speed limit from 40 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h., installing traffic chokers to narrow each intersection, and prohibiting trucks on the street between Hayden Avenue and Lindblade Street.

In May, the city permitted peak-hour parking on Higuera Street to narrow the traffic flow to two lanes, making it difficult to pass on the right.