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LA TRANSPO - A long-awaited overhaul of one of the busiest bus corridors in LA is moving forward. However, some transit advocates say the plan misses a crucial piece. And that is bike lanes. The Vermont Transit Corridor Project will add dedicated bus lanes and 26 new stations along a 12.4-mile stretch of Vermont Avenue. It will run from 120th Street in South L.A. to Sunset Boulevard in Los Feliz. The corridor already carries around 38,000 bus riders every day. Metro estimates that number could jump to 66,000 by 2045.
It is a massive investment. $425 million is coming from the Measure M transportation funding plan. What is more, Metro says it will especially benefit low-income communities and residents who do not own cars. But critics argue it falls short of the city’s vision for a safer, more connected transportation network.
The Measure HLA Backstory
In 2024, Los Angeles voters approved Measure HLA. It is a citywide initiative to finally implement the city’s 2015 Mobility Plan. That plan called for better sidewalks, upgraded bus service, and a network of improved bike lanes across the city. The idea was to make streets safer and more accessible for everyone, whether they are walking, cycling, or driving. So when Metro’s Vermont Avenue plan moved forward without new bike lanes, activists saw red. Of course, there is always a Bicycle Accident Lawyers Group guide for them. However, they wanted an extra measure to be implemented.
“This falls under Measure HLA, which requires a bike lane in Vermont,” said Michael Schneider, founder of Streets for All, the advocacy group that pushed the measure. “Vermont is owned by the City of Los Angeles, and the city is working with Metro. They are permitting it, they are providing technical expertise, they are spending staff time and money. This absolutely applies.”
Metro Pushes Back
Metro and city officials, however, say it is not that simple. The agency’s position is that HLA does not apply to them because Metro is a countywide agency, not a city department.
“Metro is supportive of the goals and objectives of HLA,” the agency said in a statement. “However, HLA does not apply to Metro projects.”
In fact, Metro has warned it would take legal action if the city tried to force compliance. In a letter to L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Metro’s attorney, cited the agency’s “self-governance authority” and an existing agreement with the city that recognizes Metro’s independence.
“The agreement simply does not transform Metro projects into City projects,” the letter said.
Why No Bike Lanes?
According to Metro, adding new bike lanes to the Vermont plan would delay the project by up to five years, increase costs, and require the agency to buy adjacent properties. That is not something they are willing to do. This is especially relevant when it comes to a target completion date of 2028, just in time for the Los Angeles Olympics.
Advocates are not buying it. In a letter to Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, Schneider argued that bike lanes could be added without delays or property acquisitions if the agency prioritized them over street parking. Without them, he warned, cyclists and pedestrians would remain vulnerable on what is already one of the city’s most dangerous streets.
A Dangerous Street and a Missed Opportunity?
Vermont Avenue has some of L.A.’s highest pedestrian death and injury rates, according to both Metro and Streets for All. Advocates say leaving bike lanes out of the redesign is a missed opportunity to make the street safer for everyone, not just bus riders.
“We have an epidemic of traffic fatalities and injuries,” said Eli Lipmen, executive director of Move L.A., another transit advocacy group. “Some of it has to do with reckless driving, but a lot of it has to do with lack of good infrastructure.”
Lipmen said more people will be hurt if Metro does not include protected bike lanes in the project. At the same time, he stressed that the bus upgrades are urgently needed. “Vermont needs to happen and needs to happen as soon as possible. We cannot delay this project another second,” he said.
When the Metro board met to vote on the Vermont Avenue plan, public commenters urged directors to reconsider and include bike lanes. The board approved the project without discussion. The lack of debate left some advocates frustrated. To them, it felt like Metro was brushing aside a voter-approved city plan in favor of speedier construction.
Looking Ahead
For now, Metro is holding its ground. The Vermont Transit Corridor will move forward with bus-only lanes, upgraded stations, and infrastructure aimed at making trips faster and more reliable for tens of thousands of riders. The bike lanes? Not part of the current blueprint.
Still, some advocates hope there is room for compromise before construction begins. They argue that redesigning Vermont without bike lanes locks in another generation of dangerous conditions for people on two wheels and contradicts the spirit of Measure HLA.
“This is a once-in-a-generation investment in one of our busiest corridors,” Schneider said. “If we do not get it right now, we are going to regret it for decades.” Whether Metro and the city can find common ground remains to be seen. With the clock ticking toward the 2028 Olympics, the stakes are high.
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