Los Angeles’ Great Streets Initiative made improvements to a stretch of Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista less than two months ago. And yet, some residents already want some of those changes reversed.

According to a story from Curbed LA, some residents are opposed to the recent changes to Venice Boulevard which replaced two of the thoroughfare’s six lanes of traffic (three in each direction) with bike lanes. The Mar Vista Community Council voted against restoring the stretch of road between Beethoven Avenue and Inglewood Boulevard to its former six-lane appearance. 

However, the council did vote in favor of examining the effects of the changes over the course of the next six months. An online petition claims the reduction of traffic lanes has increased traffic and worsened commute times.

The $1.8 million project that resulted in the bike lanes on each side of Venice Boulevard was focused on making busy streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians alike. Great Streets added the bike lanes, signaled crosswalks, zebra intersections, and pedestrian head-start walk signals.

Courtesy of LA Great Streets

If you're really having a hard time figuring out where you're supposed to go on Venice Blvd., you can always consult this infographic created by LA Great Streets. On one hand, we'd like to think people know that they should bike in the bike lane, park in the parking lane, and drive in the driving lane. However, we're also reasonably sure that someone will still drive in the parking lane and park in the bike lane. If you're really confused, just hang out with the old guy on the sidewalk until someone collects you.