Photo taken of 75-foot wide Grand Boulevard at almost Windward looking east. This is the area proposed for beautification. In addition to trees, there would be a designated bike lane and special delivery areas.

Plot plan of proposed Grand Blvd.

By Mark Ryavec, president of Venice Stakeholders Association

The Venice Stakeholders Association has endorsed a traffic calming project proposed by Neighbors of Grand that would narrow Grand Boulevard from Venice Boulevard to the Windward Circle and install a landscaped median and bike lanes (see attached drawings).  The tentative plans also call for one lane of parking along the median along with some reserved daytime parking for delivery trucks and moving vans.
          The proposal, drafted as a pro bono project by Gruen Associates landscape architect Darin Morris, a Grand resident, responds to the excessive speeds of vehicles transitioning from Venice Boulevard to Grand.  Residents say that these drivers frequently “blow through” the stop signs at Andalusia and Riviera Avenues.
          “The problem we see on Grand is that its historic 74 foot width, curb to curb, invites speeding,” said Morris.  “That width made sense when it was the “Grand Canal” of Abbot Kinney’s Venice of America, but it creates a raceway today.”
          “There are an increasing number of families on Grand today,” said Mark Ryavec, president of Venice Stakeholders Association, “and they have expressed a serious concern about traffic speeds and failure of drivers to observe stop signs.”
          Morris said that studies show that the combination of narrowing a street, trees and landscaping, and bike lanes act as brakes on driver behavior.  “Of course, a landscaped median with trees also beautifies the neighborhood and helps cut urban run-off,” Morris said.
           “This would also offer a gorgeous entryway to the many visitors who come to Venice Beach and the Boardwalk by way of Grand Boulevard,” Ryavec said.
           Neighbors of Grand recently presented the project to Councilman Bill Rosendahl who welcomed the project and invited Neighbors of Grand to meet with his transportation deputy to discuss grant funding opportunities to finance it.  It is estimated the project will cost around $500,000 and grant funding is available from various sources to fund it.