LADOT confirmed that the westbound signal on Franklin Avenue at La Brea Avenue in Hollywood is operating as designed to stay green for 8 seconds.
The agency manages more than 4,800 traffic signals across 7,500 miles of city streets. The cycle length for signals varies from 5 seconds to as long as 180 seconds. A decision they make by studying the volume and flow of traffic among other factors.
Some drivers and neighbors are still not convinced, saying that the signal on Franklin Avenue is infuriating because it’s too short to drive or walk across safely.
“Due to the fact that you have to rush through the traffic to get through the light,” said Todd Roberts who lives in Hollywood.
Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
From running red lights to illegal lane changes, many blame the signal for the reckless behavior.
“I mean If people are running a red light because they don’t want to miss the light or need to get somewhere that could cause a huge problem in this intersection,” said Hollywood resident Cari Ciotti.
LADOT was made aware of these concerns and responded by saying that the intersection was studied before designing the timing.
Local
“The signal at La Brea and Franklin is operating as designed. The signal timing for westbound traffic was established in response to a high volume of cut through traffic in the neighborhood west of La Brea as a traffic mitigation measure," said LADOT spokesperson Colin Sweeney.
After NBC 4 aired this story, a lot of viewers reached out to share their frustrations in other neighborhoods across the city on our social media platforms.
LADOT explained how traffic engineers conduct extensive studies to understand the flow of traffic, speed and foot traffic along with other variables to make their decision. Some people think areas like La Brea and Franklin Avenue need to be reevaluated because it’s a problem.
“I think the city should come out and access the situation, and maybe talk to some of the people filing these complaints to get information what they’re experiencing because they may not be driving through here and experiencing what others are,” said Ciotti.
LADOT said anyone who has a concern with this signal or another in the city can alert them online at MYLA311.ORG or by calling 3-1-1.
