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Santa Monica City Council votes to make Lincoln Boulevard safer

The Santa Monica City Council hopes to make Lincoln Boulevard a safer place for pedestrians. Photo courtesy of the City of Santa Monica.
The Santa Monica City Council hopes to make Lincoln Boulevard a safer place for pedestrians. Photo courtesy of the City of Santa Monica.

SANTA MONICA, CA – The Santa Monica City Council approved a different streetscape plan for Lincoln Boulevard on Tuesday in hopes that the street will become a safer place for those not traveling by car.

The concept called the Lincoln Neighborhood Corridor Plan, or LiNC, won in a 5-1 vote. Although the plan has been in existence for nearly three years, the death of a pedestrian on Lincoln Boulevard last month created the need for a faster execution.

The woman’s death was the first pedestrian death on Lincoln in a year and the fifth death for Santa Monica. According to police data, Lincoln Boulevard had a total of 660 traffic accidents from 2005 to 2015.

Council Member Kevin McKeown said, “This street really needs help. Let’s give it the help.”

LiNC will oversee the elimination of street parking during peak traffic hours, the implementation of landscaped center medians for pedestrians, the improvement of crosswalks, flashing warning lights, new pedestrian lighting, curb-extensions, and the planting of 48 new trees.

The plan aims to create a more “pedestrian-friendly environment and to improve transportation conditions for vehicles, transit, and bicycles,” according to a council report.

Signs will be built to help pedestrians navigate the changes.

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