A Los Angeles neighborhood is pushing back against LA Metro’s proposal for a new 19-mile bus route, with residents and business owners warning the project could disrupt local commerce and add to already heavy traffic congestion.
The plan is part of a broader transportation push ahead of the 2028 Olympics, with Los Angeles outlining 28 transit improvements designed to help spectators reach competition venues more easily by public transportation.
Events for the Los Angeles Olympics are expected to be held across the city and in several communities throughout LA County, creating a major logistical challenge for regional transit planners.
Metro Los Angeles says on its website: ‘Our main goal for 2028 is to enable all ticketed spectators to travel to competition venues by public transit, walking or cycling.
‘With our currently planned expansions to our network, we will have high-quality transit serving most of the major Games venues.’
Among the planned upgrades is an east-west rapid bus line linking North Hollywood to Pasadena, with the route running through Burbank, Glendale and Eagle Rock.
Metro Los Angeles said in a video that the bus project is expected to cost $267 million.
Construction broke ground in April 2026, though Metro Los Angeles says the project is still in its early stages.
Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock is a main roadway which is home to dozens of small businesses and a rich history as sections of it belong to the Historic Route 66
The proposed 19-mile bus route will go east-to-west, aiming to connect North Hollywood and Pasadena
A Facebook user posted photographs of parking spaces along Colorado Boulevard which have been painted red, indicating a no-parking zone
Eagle Rock will receive three bus stops on the new bus route, all along Colorado Boulevard. The roadway is a culturally significant one, as it holds the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, and partially belongs to the historic Route 66.
Residents and business owners in Eagle Rock have expressed concerns over how the bus route will affect their community, especially the stretch of businesses across Colorado Boulevard.
Ursula Brown, longtime resident of Eagle Rock and Secretary of the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce, said: ‘It’s going to kill most of the businesses along Colorado Boulevard.
‘It will affect about 500 parking spaces. We have been fighting back with no results.’
According to Brown, stop signs and parking cones have been popping up even though construction hasn’t even begun.
Brown said she saw parking spots already being blocked off and painted red.
The statement was corroborated by Karl Schumacher, a local resident. In an Eagle Rock community Facebook group, he wrote: ‘They just GOT RID OF 5 PARKING SPACES on Colorado Boulevard/between Shearin and Glen Iris this AM… by spray painting the curbs red, and then adding yellow, they also removed the parking meters.
‘Is it the City of Los Angeles’s job to kill small businesses in Eagle Rock – because that’s what they’re doing by getting rid of parking.’
She continued, ‘They are sneaking in more and more traffic measures. They are predicting more traffic in the side streets.
‘It’s really sad we are being bulldozed.’
Brown also expressed concern at how the predicted increase in traffic will affect Colorado Boulevard’s function as a designated safety corridor.
‘The reality is they’re not planning enough stops to comfortably use the [bus line.] If you’re elderly or disabled you still have to figure out how to get to the bus stop,’ she told Our News Outlet.
‘It’s going to be a mess and construction will take very long.’
Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who oversees Eagle Rock, said that she and her team have communicated the neighborhood’s needs to the transit agency.
‘We will continue pressing Metro, LADOT, and other responsible departments to respond to community feedback and communicate clearly before each phase of work begins,’ Jurado told LA Times.
‘Eagle Rock deserves both better transit and a project that respects the community it serves.’
Our News Outlet has reached out to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation for further comment.
