(If you don't see this image moving, please click here to see 'After') |
The Oaks Homeowners Association has developed a proposal for a traffic circle at the intersection of Bronson Avenue and Canyon Drive.
The proposed traffic circle will:
- end the confusion from the intersection's current layout
- provide safe travel from all and to all directions
- help calm traffic
- be landscaped and beautify the area
- mark the entry to our neighborhood and promote a sense of community
Anyone who has ever driven up Bronson Canyon into the Oaks will have been wondering about the three-way intersection of Bronson Avenue and Canyon Drive. This intersection is confusing, potentially hazardous and certainly ugly. On top of everything else, it is conducive to speeding. In June 2004, the Oaks Homeowners Association Board began to search for ways to improve, beautify and re-design the intersection. This ongoing effort is spearheaded by boardmember Alexander von Wechmar, the Oaks HOA's City Services Director. He did extensive research on all aspects of the proposal.
At the Oaks' request, Ray Mellen, a traffic consultant for councilman Tom LaBonge, made some conceptual drawings of possible designs. A consensus was reached among the Oaks boardmembers to pursue the construction of a traffic circle at the intersection. This consensus was subsequently shared by the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council's (HUNC) Neighborhood and Environment Committee and its chair, Susan Swan. Susan represents geographical district # 3, which includes the Oaks, in the neighborhood council.
Traffic circles have only one lane, circling around the center island. There are stop signs on all feeding streets, but once a driver has entered the circle lane, he has the right of way for as long as he is in it. Cars entering the circle must yield to anyone in the circle already.
The intersection is somewhat unusual because of the angle between Bronson and Canyon, and because the three streets meeting at the intersection all have different widths: 50 ft, 40 ft and 36 ft respectively. The situation is complicated by the presence of a large Camphor tree and the sidewalk around it on the south side of the intersection. The tree’s roots have grown to be massive and have lifted up various parts of the sidewalk by several feet, so that it is now practically impassable for pedestrians. Alexander did extensive research on ways to rebuild the sidewalk in its current placement. Among the solutions he looked into were ramps (effectively bridging the roots) and rubber sidewalks. The city experts at the Bureau of Street Services' Street Tree Division, however, favor building a new sidewalk that goes around the tree's north side and thus creates a curb line bulging into what is now part of a traffic lane. This solution, as well as the decision to preserve the tree, is backed by Councilmember Tom LaBonge's office. Apparently, the city has the funding to build the sidewalk bulge around the tree and wants to do so fairly soon.
The bulging sidewalk's most obvious effect on the design of the intersection is that the traffic circle would be limited to a 16 foot radius. The Oaks board had hoped for a larger circle.
The Department of Transportation traffic planners are concerned with turning radiuses for large vehicles, like trucks, going in each direction. The biggest problem is vehicles going south on Canyon, driving around the circle on its west side and continuing south on Canyon. Those vehicles would have to make the severest 'turns': right into the circle, then left around the island, and finally right again to go around the pulled-out sidewalk and back onto Canyon Dr.
Size does matter
A big reason a traffic circle at Bronson & Canyon needs to have at least a 16 ft radius is that it must divert the path that cars travel along. There can be no confusion for the driver as to what side a traffic circle has to be passed. A smaller traffic circle might be noticed by drivers but would not effectively slow and channel traffic in the manner desired, and could actually increase traffic danger. To be safe and to achieve the desired traffic calming, a circle has to be perceived as an obstacle that requires careful circumvention.(This conclusion is based on Alexander's research and his conversations with traffic experts.)
Eventually, the board deemed the 16 foot radius an acceptable compromise. The upside is, of course, that the large impressive tree will be preserved. A circle with a bigger radius would, of course, be welcomed whole-heartedly. However, a traffic circle any smaller than 16 feet would not be acceptable to us, and the Oaks HOA could not support the project.
A traffic circle with a 16 foot radius will accommodate all regular delivery trucks. Semitrailers will have no problem going north from Franklin on Canyon, nor going south on Canyon and turning right onto Bronson. The fire department will not be inhibited in any way because fire trucks going north on Bronson could always pass the traffic circle on its western side if they use their sirens.
The traffic circle will most likely necessitate the loss of about six parking spaces, mainly on the east side of the intersection. We are working on a parking survey to gauge the impact of that loss on the area surrounding the intersection. The Oaks board also has reached an understanding with the neighbors who would be most affected.
Here is an example for a beautiful traffic circle found at Wonder View & Tareco near the Hollywood Reservoir.
Positive Impact
The Oaks board is convinced that the traffic circle will do many good things for everyone in and around the Oaks. It will calm traffic and even entice those who currently run the stop signs to do the right thing. It will provide a safe way to turn from each of the three streets into any other street. It will beautify its immediate surroundings, and it will mark the intersection as the entrance to our neighborhood that it already is. Many Oaks residents pass the intersection twice a day, or more, and all will enjoy the beautiful landscaping. And the circle is certainly not going to harm property values either.
The community will have to find the funds needed for this project, since the city will only pay for the pulled-out sidewalk, not the circle. As of now, there is no cost estimate whatsoever, but educated guesses from various experts come in at anywhere between $50,000 and $200,000. There is grant money that we can apply for, but we also anticipate the need for at least some fundraising. This, however, is a problem we will only attack after the design plans for the intersection have been finalized and approved by city planners.
If you have any concerns, questions or comments, we would certainly like to hear from you. Please contact Alexander von Wechmar at (323) 467-9004 or at Alexander.von.Wechmar@oakshome.org; or contact Rainer Standke at (323) 957-0668 or at Rainer.Standke@oakshome.org.
Traffic Circles: Some examples
Here is a look at some nearby traffic circles. Click the link to see maps of their exact locations.
This rather small circle is in Echo Park at Effie & Lake Shore.
