This article by Joe Linton originally appeared in StreetsBlogLA.
The proposed 2.2-mile project would add new protected bike lanes connecting the Metro E Line station to UCLA and would add 1.1 mile of new bus-only lanes. Give your input via online survey.
Westwood serves as the main street leading into UCLA; it already sees fairly high levels of bus and bicycle usage. The under-construction Westwood/Wilshire D Line subway station is expected to open by 2028. Westwood Boulevard is already served by its Metro E Line station, about two miles south of the UCLA campus.
In the past, elected officials, nimby homeowners, and city departments colluded to keep the boulevard car-centric and deadly. This began to change with the 2022 election of City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who pledged support for walkable, bikeable neighborhoods and “getting Angelenos out of their cars.”
Even under Yaroslavsky’s leadership, Westwood Boulevard improvements are taking a long time. Yaroslavsky and LADOT have been working on the fully-funded $10 million Westwood Boulevard Safety and Mobility Project since early 2024.
In February 2026, an inattentive Westwood Boulevard driver crashed into a cyclist then into a supermarket, killing three people and injuring at least six others. The horrific crash prompted Yaroslavsky to call on LADOT to accelerate safety measures. At the time of the crash, LADOT’s overall 4+year project timeline anticipated construction would get underway in early 2027. That timeline remains unaccelerated (see new fact sheet), though now “phase 1” (curb ramps) construction is anticipated to get underway in Spring 2027.
The newest batch of draft designs appear very promising for the overall safety of everyone, while being especially beneficial for bus riders and bicyclists.
The current LADOT designs would reconfigure 2.2. miles of Westwood Boulevard – from the UCLA campus (at Le Conte Avenue) to the Westwood E Line Station (at Exposition Boulevard).
LADOT’s Westwood design adds new parking-protected bike lanes for the entire 2.2 miles.
The proposal also adds bus-only lanes extending 1.1 mile from Santa Monica Boulevard to UCLA.
LADOT project webpage and fact sheet include anticipated project benefits which include 14-20% faster bus speeds, reduced car speeds, and improved cyclist safety and sidewalk accessibility. The project would eliminate some car parking and would also extend the hours of other parking (eliminating peak-hour parking restrictions).
LADOT is requesting that the interested public give Westwood Boulevard feedback via an online survey.