Sunset4All and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition have launched a $25,000 crowdfunding campaign to bring complete streets enhancements to a bustling stretch of Sunset Boulevard.

The project area, which includes portions of Echo Park, Silver Lake, and East Hollywood, spans segments of namesake Sunset Boulevard between Fountain Avenue and Dodger Stadium as well as Santa Monica Boulevard from the Vermont/Santa Monica subway station and Sunset Junction.  By realigning existing right-of-way, the proposal would add:

  • 3.2 miles of protected bike lanes;
  • enhanced crosswalks and bus stops;
  • new safe routes to schools; and
  • several pocket parks.

Map of the Sunset4All projectSunset4All

“Right now people have to choose between driving or taking their life into their hands," said Terence Heuston, a co-founder of Sunset4All.  "Sunset4All would make it safe enough to walk, bike, or take transit for short trips. It would also safely connect almost 100,000 locals with the subway while making the 'main street' of our community a more welcoming place to walk, dine, and shop. Thanks to the innovative design, all this can be accomplished without removing a travel or parking lane.”

Funds raised through the campaign are to be put toward initial engineering plans for the project, which would allow the City of Los Angeles to seek additional grants to complete the work on Sunset Boulevard.

Under the campaign, which is modeled after a similar effort in Colorado, tax-deductible donations will be matched by anonymous donors, creating an ultimate goal of $50,000.  To learn more, or to donate, visit: https://www.la-bike.org/sunset4all.

While Los Angeles has made modest progress in the buildout of its protected bike lane network in recent years, the city has nonetheless repeatedly been labeled as one of the most dangerous in the United States for cyclists.  Lagging efforts by city officials have prompted safe streets advocates to take the lead, such as in the case of a complete streets makeover planned for Melrose Avenue (later scuttled by a member of the City Council) and a proposed extension of the Ballona Creek bike trail.