According to shop owners in Playa Del Rey a 'road diet' has been bad for business. The owner of Tanner's Coffee on the corner of Culver and Vista Del Mar says daily sales have been down about 12-18% ever since Vista Del Mar was reduced to two lanes from four.
"Usually we have a pretty big rush of people coming in from 6:30 to about 9:30. And now, we've seen that the rush kinda starts maybe, 8:30... sometimes there's no rush," Lee said. "Definitely see a lot of people not coming by anymore."
Lance Williams, the owner of Playa Del Rey Florist says walk-in orders have plummetted and that he's had to start spending more on gas and staff to make deliveries. And while LA City Councilman Mike Bonin told residents in an email that the 'road diet' would make the roads safer, but Williams claims he's seen more incidents of road rage and car accidents ever since the new safety plan was put in place.
Councilman Mike Bonin responded to critics to the 'road diet' on his Facebook Page saying he's open to suggestions on how to reduce traffic while improving safety.
Many residents of the South Bay cities have been weighing in vigorously against road safety projects in Playa del Rey. A few thoughts:
1) Enough -- please-- with blaming the victims of traffic collisions for their own deaths and injuries. It is not a pedestrian's obligation to avoid a car; it is a driver's obligation to avoid a pedestrian.
2) The City of LA is not going to reduce access to Dockweiler Beach to maintain vehicular capacity. We are not going to make it tougher for folks who don't live near the beach so that those of us lucky enough to live there can drive faster.
3) People who live in cities that restrict vehicle access to prevent speeding and cut-through traffic should not try to deny residents of Playa del Rey the same traffic safety measures they use or can choose from in in their own communities.
4) LA is very open to ideas and suggestions that protect safety without impacting traffic -- but safety must be the top consideration -- and speed kills. A person hit by a car going 20mph has an 80% chance of survival. Hit by a car going 40mph? 10% chance of survival.