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Pico Great Street UPDATE Oct 2018

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Category: Community News
Published on Saturday, 20 October 2018 16:59
Written by Pico Collaborative
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 If you've been out on our Great Street lately you've noticed a big change - brand new curb extensions at Curson and Hauser! These are the first improvements in the community's vision for Destination: Pico, to be installed. Hooray! It's happening!

A quick refresher on curb extensions. They...

- Reduce collisions at intersections by 30%

- Shorten the distance for pedestrians to cross the street

- Encourage cars to turn the corner more safely

- Make the street seem narrower, discouraging speeding

In our outreach, curb extensions were consistently one of the top requests from the community, and you rated them the #1 priority when we asked you what to build first. They are part of a broader effort to make Pico more walkable, safe, and welcoming to all.

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You have questions!

Why just paint and bollards?

We are starting with temporary curb extensions until we know they are right. We will study how they affect all users of the street, and we will listen to feedback from you. After we've all had a chance to live with them for a while, if the community wants, we will seek funding to make them permanent.

Also: Large planters will be installed in the curb extensions to provide more protection (and greenery!) for pedestrians.  They should be here in a couple months.

Purple? Really?

We think it’s eye-catching and pretty. Hopefully it will encourage passers-through to stop and look around.


What about the curb extensions at Burnside and Masselin?

Burnside and Masselin are indeed getting painted curb extensions. Those intersections are also getting major upgrades: a full traffic signal at Burnside, and a new crosswalk with signal at Masselin. The curb extensions will be installed with the other upgrades (we’ll keep you posted on the timing).

Where did the parking meters on Hauser go?

You may have noticed that the curb extension at the southeast corner of Hauser goes all the way down the block to where the residential parking starts. That is the future location of the plaza for kids and families that will be installed this fall. We decided the people hanging out at the plaza should have extra protection from the cars on Hauser. 


Where’s my bus stop?

The eastbound Big Blue Bus stops at Curson and Hauser had to move slightly west to accommodate the curb extensions. Big Blue Bus approved this change. Several parking meters had to be removed in front of Finishmaster and Casa Chocolate to give buses enough room to pull into the new stop at Hauser. All the businesses at that location approved this change.

Oct18pico3We are ALSO very excited to announce the Coloring Book, a plaza for families to gather at the corner of Pico and Hauser.

The Coloring Book is a temporary solution to a problem you have been telling us about for a long time - the lack of public gathering spaces in our neighborhood. (The nearest park is a mile away!) The sidewalk on Hauser is quite wide south of Pico - it's our best opportunity to try out a public space. There are several schools and day care centers a block or two away, so we thought something aimed at families would be fun. But of course everyone is welcome!

Our long-term goal is to bring a permanent public gathering space to our park-poor neighborhood. If the Coloring Book proves popular, this spot may become something more permanent in the future. We are also on the lookout for properties that could become a park - let us know if you have a lead!

The Coloring Book is funded by the Let's Play Everywhere LA grant from KaBOOM! and the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti. It was designed by June Street Architecture.





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Established in August of 2008 by writer, artist Dianne V. Lawrence, The Neighborhood News covers the events, people, history, politics and historic architecture of communities throughout the Mid-City and West Adams area in Los Angeles Council District 10.

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