Dear Culver City: Better Overland ignores how the street actually works

EDITOR'S NOTE: This piece and others in the "Dear Culver City" series are editorial pieces submitted by sources unaffiliated with Culver Crescent. The sentiments expressed in these articles do not represent or confirm the stance or opinions of Culver Crescent or any of its writers. Culver Crescent has not verified statements of fact made in these pieces. Any claims made in Dear Culver City pieces should not be taken as fact unless corroborated by independent research or data.

By Joy Rodriguez and Carolyn Libuser

A major artery is being redesigned as if it were a side street — and many residents say the consequences could be serious.

Overland Avenue is one of Culver City’s busiest streets, yet it is being redesigned as if it were a quiet neighborhood road. That disconnect lies at the heart of growing concern about the Better Overland Project. The Culver City Council is moving forward with this plan, formerly known as the Better Overland and Safer Fox Hills Project, which was halted in 2024 after significant community opposition.

The Better Overland Project would significantly redesign one of the city’s most heavily traveled corridors, stretching from Venice Boulevard to Culver Boulevard, Jefferson Boulevard, and the Fox Hills area. While improving safety is a goal everyone supports, many residents and business owners believe the current design largely replicates the prior proposal and, as a result, continues to overlook the practical realities of how Overland Avenue actually functions.

Overland is not a quiet residential side street. It is a major north–south artery, with access to major freeways. According to multiple data cited in the City’s own planning documents, the corridor carries more than 15,000 vehicles per day, compared to fewer than 50 bicyclists from Venice Boulevard to Fox Hills, with some data indicating fewer than 20 riders. It serves commuters, residents, delivery drivers, visitors, and emergency responders every day.

Along Overland are condominiums, rental housing, schools, a public library, a church, parks, a community center, senior centers, restaurants, small businesses, and Sony Studios, to name just a few. It is a working corridor that thousands depend on daily.

The proposed plan includes removing curb parking on the entire west side of Overland and some on the east side, eliminating right-turn lanes, and installing protected bike lanes with physical barriers, including concrete dividers. In one location, the plan also places a new crosswalk and pedestrian signal immediately adjacent to a residential building, directly outside condominium bedroom windows, raising concerns about noise, sleep disruption, and the quality of life for residents living only a few feet away.

These changes may seem modest on paper, but their effects could be far-reaching.

Residents in older condominium and residential buildings often rely on street parking because on-site parking is limited. Seniors and caregivers depend on curb access for mobility and safety. Rideshare pickups, deliveries, and basic daily activities like unloading groceries all require curb access that may soon disappear.

Small businesses face similar challenges. Short-term parking and convenient loading are essential for customers and deliveries. Without them, businesses can lose customers gradually, not because demand disappears, but because access becomes inconvenient.

Safety is frequently cited as the justification for the project, and safer streets are a priority shared by everyone. But safety must be evaluated for all road users. Removing right-turn lanes and narrowing a heavily traveled roadway can increase congestion, sudden braking, and rear-end collisions. It may also slow emergency response, where seconds can make the difference in life-and-death situations.

Environmental goals are also part of the discussion, yet increased congestion and idling vehicles can raise emissions rather than reduce them. Infrastructure intended to improve sustainability must be evaluated using realistic traffic conditions, not assumptions.

None of this means that safer cycling infrastructure should not be pursued. It means that solutions should be balanced and appropriate for each corridor. Less disruptive measures, such as targeted intersection improvements, enhanced markings, and traffic-calming designs that preserve access, can improve safety without removing essential roadway functions.

Overland Avenue deserves planning grounded in data, transparency, and meaningful engagement with the people who live and work along it.

Before permanent changes are made, the City should reexamine the design, consider alternatives, and ensure that safety, accessibility, and economic vitality are all part of the solution. A crosswalk should be prioritized near the Ballona Creek bike path entrances along Overland, where walkers and cyclists frequently cross regularly.

Streets shape daily life. Once concrete is poured and lanes are removed, the impacts are difficult and costly to reverse. Decisions of this scale should be guided not only by policy goals but by practical realities and the lived experience of the community.

A majority of residents opposed the costly MOVE Project in downtown Culver City, which ultimately led to litigation and significant revisions. Today, particularly given the City’s strained financial position, the majority of community members are raising similar concerns about the Better Overland Project, questioning the wisdom of spending millions on a plan that could significantly disrupt residents, businesses, and everyday travel along this vital corridor.

The City’s own Public Works Department, in its Bicycle & Pedestrian Action Plan, recommends Class II bike lanes, not Class IV, for Overland Avenue, based on its traffic flow study. If the City’s adopted plan supports a less intrusive design for this corridor, why is a different approach now being pursued?

Culver City’s Overland Avenue is too important to get wrong.

Joy Rodriguez and Carolyn Libuser are Culver City residents speaking on behalf of concerned neighbors living near the Better Overland project site.