Key Votes: MOVE Culver City Design Approval
People gather at a MOVE Culver City mobility hub next to micromobility vehicles.
Welcome to the first post in our Key Votes series! In this series, we look back at important Culver City Council votes that brought us to where we are today.
MOVE Culver City’s design was unanimously approved by the City Council on February 1, 2021.
MOVE improves the experience of being a pedestrian, bus rider, or cyclist in downtown Culver City with expanded pedestrian areas, bus lanes, and bike lanes. The project has been subject to a series of votes over the years, but the first important vote on the project was to approve city staff’s design recommendations.
The following recommendations received unanimous approval:
Using a quick-build approach
Maintaining one general purpose car lane in each direction
Building bus lanes throughout the corridor in both directions
Building bike facilities throughout the corridor in both directions
Retaining pandemic-era outdoor dining by keeping eastbound Culver Blvd car-free between Canfield and Watseka
With a few exceptions, the design plans at the time were very similar to what’s in place today, including portions with just one car lane, a dedicated bike lane for much of the project, and a dedicated bus lane.
MOVE Culver City design for Washington Blvd with one lane of car traffic in each direction, one bus lane in each direction, and one dedicated, protected bike lane in each direction.
Community members spoke in favor of the project, emphasizing the importance of making mobility options convenient for all users, including pedestrians, transit riders, and cyclists — instead of focusing only on car drivers. Other proponents of the project praised the expanded outdoor dining options made available during the pandemic.
Those who opposed the project or asked for caution, many speaking on behalf of downtown businesses, claimed that there had not been sufficient time for input from businesses along the corridor.
What did the City Council have to say?
Council Member Albert Vera
“I like the project. I agree with much of what was said. I like the comment by, I believe by Ms. Barba [Nancy Barba] where she said, “You can’t be stuck in the past.” Quite frankly, going into this, I was stuck in the past. Change is hard, it’s difficult for anybody moving forward, but I think as a Council Member you need to put your personal feelings, opinion aside and listen and do what’s for the betterment of the community.”
Council Member Yasmine-Imani McMorrin
“I definitely think there is urgency. We cannot continue with this. We know what happens right now: It’s lots of traffic. It’s unsafe for folks who are on their bikes. We have a responsibility to shift. We cannot continue to do the same thing expecting different results.”
Key vote summary
MOVE Culver City Design Approval
Unanimously approved on February 1, 2021
Voting YES:
✅Alex Fisch, Mayor
✅Daniel Lee, Vice Mayor
✅Göran Eriksson, Council Member
✅Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Council Member
✅Albert Vera, Council Member