Lakewood Boulevard BRT, Rail-to-Rail update, and more

Now is not the time to be scared. It is time to consider an L.A. free of the freeways "We asked several artists — William Camargo, 3B Collective, Patrisse Cullors and Devon Tsuno — if they were game to work their magic. The prompt? Press the delete button on their freeway of choice. They obliged, did their history, mined their lived experience and pulled from the vast troves of source material to liberate the freeways from themselves." (LA Times)

White House Picks LA For National Plan To Reduce Homelessness "As part of the plan, the Biden administration will embed a federal official in each of the local governments. It’ll also task various federal departments with cutting red tape, issuing government identification documents faster (which can speed up access to resources) and helping unhoused people connect with programs such as federally funded housing vouchers and Medicaid." (LAist)

Benedict Canyon hotel project can proceed, for now, after City Council deadlocks "The City Council voted 7 to 7 on a motion by Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky asking the city’s planning director to rescind a general plan amendment initiation for the proposed Bulgari Resort Los Angeles." (LA Times)

El Niño’s arrival is imminent and there’s a 90% chance it lasts all year, forecasters say "El Niño typically brings cold, wet winter to the Southern U.S. A strong El Niño in particular is associated with lots of rain for the Southwest and California — though California already saw a cold, wet winter this year even without El Niño in control." (KTLA)

A 26.3-mile bus-only lane from the Traffic Circle to Pasadena? Long Beach shows some interest "The city of Pico Rivera is leading an effort to create a 26.3-mile-long rapid bus-transit lane along the Lakewood Boulevard corridor, and it wants Long Beach to be a partner in the project, which it hopes could break ground by 2028." (LB Post)

Eyes on the Path: Metro Posts First Look at Slauson Corridor Bike/Walk Path Ahead of Tonight’s Construction Update "The dedicated bike/walk path (where users are safely separated from motor vehicles) will feature shade trees, drought-tolerant landscaping, lighting, improvements at bus stops, and improved crossings at intersections." (Streetsblog LA)

Editorial: New York City is moving forward with congestion pricing. Los Angeles should be next "Los Angeles leaders are considering a congestion pricing pilot project. The idea was raised in 2019 by then-Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Phil Washington, who suggested rush-hour tolls on drivers could help raise billions of dollars to accelerate construction of transportation projects for the 2028 Olympics and even be used to eliminate bus and train fares." (LA Times)