By
A center divider proved divisive on Tuesday, as police officers, firefighters and bicycle enthusiasts unsuccessfully urged the City Council to rethink a landscaped median planned for upper Pier Avenue.
The median is one element in an ongoing overhaul of the city’s main drag that includes wider sidewalks, an improved storm drain system and larger planted areas.
The city’s police and fire chiefs have said their public safety efforts would not be hampered by the median, which will be broken at intersections to allow vehicles to turn. The rank and file disagreed, sending letters to the council urging them to rethink the plan.
“We feel that a center island will delay response time to police calls for service,” wrote Sgt. Jaime Ramirez, president of the Hermosa Beach Police Officers Association. Police vehicles will no longer be able to get around traffic by driving down the middle of the roadway, he wrote.
“The potential significant traffic backup, especially during peak times and events, may significantly impact our access and response times,” wrote firefighter Aaron Bush, president of the Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association.
Prominent bicycle enthusiasts also asked for an about-face on the median, which could free up room to add a bike lane to the Pier Avenue makeover.
Median-minded council members said they had secured a $1.3 million construction grant based on plans that included the median. They also said plans for the Pier Avenue makeover were hashed out by an ad hoc committee in 20 public meetings, including two town hall-style meetings, followed by discussion at numerous City Council meetings.
Councilman Kit Bobko, the driving force behind the makeover, bristled at what he described as an 11th hour appeal by firefighters. He called Bush before the dais and sharply questioned him about why the median concern had not arisen earlier. Bush’s letter to the council was received by city management the day before Tuesday’s meeting.
Bush told Bobko that the median plan had only recently come to the attention of firefighters. During a testy exchange, Bush accused Bobko of mounting an “attack” on him, and Bobko replied that he was asking questions of Bush. ER
Comments