Century City/ Westwood
August 23 – September 5, 2019
NEWS
CenturyCity-WestwoodNews.com
UCLA’s New E-Transit Regulations 1 mph speed limit on Bruin Walk among other rules By Keldine Hull The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has signed a temporary contract with Lyft, Bird and Wheels allowing the shared mobility vendors to be the primary source of electric scooters and bikes to the UCLA campus community. Electric scooters and bikes from vendors outside the agreement will still be permitted around campus but will be impounded if parked on campus. After a soft- launch on August 1, the full pilot program rolls out this fall. According to Renée Fortier, executive
Photo: Adrian Figueroa/UCLA
Electric scooters parked near the Ackerman turnaround on campus at UCLA.
director of UCLA Transportation, in a statement with UCLA Newsroom, “UCLA recognizes the importance of providing a variety of sustainable transportation options that
are convenient, affordable and accessible while meeting the diverse needs of UCLA commuters.” Fortier continued, “In order to reduce traditional air pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion, UCLA Transportation offers a wide array of options to lower the number of people driving to, from and around campus alone.” Lyft, Bird and Wheels will be required to pay fees to the university and offer a variety of special offers to the UCLA community. All three shared mobility vendors have proposed discounts for campus riders that include free ride time, event ride promotions and reduced rates. Electric bikes and scooters won’t be allowed on campus sidewalks and pathways, and geo-fencing will limit riders to 1 mile per hour in UCLA’s pedestrian dismount zones, such as Bruin Walk, Designated parking areas for electric scooters and
bikes will be provided throughout campus. “UCLA continues to make infrastructure improvements that help all wheeled devices get around campus. Officials with transportation and facilities management are collaborating on roadway improvements, including extending the network of protected bike lanes on university grounds. Additionally, designated parking areas for e-scooters and e-bikes are being added throughout campus,” UCLA said in a press release. “E-scooter and e-bike safety education campaigns are planned for the start of the academic year. Dismount zones have also been delineated in campus areas with high foot traffic to minimize impacts on pedestrian walkways.” Based on the success of the pilot program, revisions to the contract can be made at the end of the school year.
Solar Powered Emergency Wifi
Pilot program rolls out for Westside Canyons. By S am C atanzaro
In a big win for public safety in Westwood and the surrounding area as fire season approaches, the City of Los Angeles’s Innovation and Performance Commission voted in favor of a Solar Powered Emergency Wifi network pilot program that will allow the City’s entire emergency response infrastructure -- including Shake LA and Notify LA -- to communicate with residents via wifi during a power outage. The pilot grants $200,000 from the City of LA’s Innovation Fund to the City Emergency Management Department for solar-powered communication equipment, community outreach, integration with the Shake LA mobile app and other ITA systems, and a year’s worth of quarterly testing and maintenance. “Mike was eager to support the pilot program and has been proud to work with neighbors to better protect our neighborhoods from a natural disaster,” reads Councilmember Mike Bonin’s July newsletter. “The pilot area will cover five miles of the Mandeville Canyon area, where there is a potential of a loss
of communication during a major disaster.” According to Daniel Branscome, Treasurer of the Mandeville Canyon Association due to the unique geography of the Santa Monica Mountains, signal service in the canyon is much worse than how it appears on a coverage map, an issue that affects thousands of residents in the area. “Anyone who has ever driven up these canyon roads knows that you’re very likely to lose signal once you leave Sunset. You may reacquire signal once you get to your house, if you live up on a ridgeline or if you get to your house and you have WiFi assist to provide signal. Most likely you’re in a situation where you’re going to have gaps in coverage. Branscome said at a Brentwood Community Council meeting earlier this year. A structure fire last year in Mandeville Canyon illustrates that dangers lack of cell service in the canyon presents to the community. According to Branscome, the person who saw the fire was driving out of the canyon. They saw flames, but they didn’t have a cell phone signal and had to drive all the way out to Sunset to place the 9-1-1 call to report the fire. The Woolsey Fire that devested the Santa Monica Mountains also demonstrates the hurdles emergency officials face in alerting the community in the event of a natural disaster.
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A Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighter combats the Woolsey Fire last November.
“Early morning on the 6th [of November], I got a text from one of my neighbors, ‘Did you get the alert?’ I said, ‘What alert?’ The city had used the amber alert system in our community, but because of cell phone ser-
Photo: LACoFD.
vice, I didn’t get the alert,” Branscome said. As fire season approaches, it remains to be seen how the Solar Powered Emergency Wifi pilot program will play out in the event of an emergency.
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