While the focus was on the imminent departure of several elected officials, as well as fare capping, Metro's Board also voted to beef up east-west bus service through the northern San Fernando Valley at its meeting on December 1.

The $180-million plan for the North San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor - which spans between the communities of Chatsworth, North Hollywood, and Lake View Terrace - focuses its efforts on the key Valley thoroughfares Roscoe Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, with additional upgrades also envisioned for Lankershim Boulevard, Reseda Boulevard, Sherman Way, Vanowen Street, and Victory Boulevard.

The scope of improvements, as detailed by Metro in June, will include:

  • 10-minute service on Roscoe Boulevard and Nordhoff Street during the day on weekdays (lines 152 and 166);
  • new transit signal priority, and bulb outs to improve travel times on Roscoe, Nordhoff, Lankershim Boulevard, Sherman Way, Reseda Boulevard, Ventura Boulevard, Vanowen Street, and Victory Boulevard;
  • weekday peak-hour bus lanes on Roscoe between Lankershim and Topanga Canyon Boulevard;
  • 400 new bus shelters at busiest stops; Improved shelters, real-time travel information, and seating at five stops - including CSUN; and
  • all-door boarding; Zero emission electric buses on Roscoe, Nordhoff, Sherman Way, Reseda, and Ventura Boulevard.

Implementation of the improvements - which will offer connections to Cal State Northridge, the G Line busway, North Hollywood Stations, and the future light rail line on Van Nuys Boulevard - are expected to commence in Fall 2023 and conclude by Winter 2025.

While the upgrades may we welcomed by bus commuters in the Valley, the end result falls short of the bus rapid transit (BRT) line originally planned for the corridor. That plan had faced staunch, organized opposition from residents along the project corridor, would have cost up to $417 million to carry more than 28,000 daily passengers, although construction would have taken an additional two years.

On the opposite side of the Valley, a different BRT project managed to make it to the finish line mostly intact. In April, the Metro Board approved a new BRT line linking North Hollywood with Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena, despite pushback from some Eagle Rock residents, as well as officials in Burbank and Pasadena.