Last-minute bill amendment could block Forest Lawn Drive bike lane project

A last-minute provision was inserted into a bill that would prevent a city of two million or more from reducing vehicle lanes on a street that provides the only access to two neighboring cemeteries without prior approval from the governing body and the mayor, and would require a public hearing. The measure targets a safety project on Forest Lawn Drive that would replace a traffic lane with a protected bike lane and add a turning lane.

After objections from the cemeteries and local neighborhood councils, Mayor Karen Bass asked the transportation department to redesign the plan. Councilmember Nithya Raman and bike-advocacy group Streets for All condemned the amendment, saying it jeopardizes ongoing efforts to improve safety on a road that has seen more than 95 crashes and four fatalities since 2013. Cemetery representatives have not commented. The amendment was added before the legislative deadline on Friday night.