Hey, Bubba, You Were Wrong: Here's The Wheel Deal

In 2020, Bryan "Bubba" Fish stoked fear about the supposed dangers of shared bus and bike lanes in Downtown Culver City. He argued that they posed risks, especially for families and children. Fast forward to 2023, Fish sued the city alongside McMorrin and Barba to block the voter-approved expansion of these lanes. In 2024, the lawsuit was lost, and the city went on record confirming there had been zero collisions between buses and bikes during the almost three years of operation.

The data simply didn’t back up the fear.

Hey, Bubba, You Were Wrong: Here's The Wheel Deal

The shared bus and bike lanes in Downtown Culver City are once again in the spotlight with the recent update to the downtown tactical mobility project, commonly known as "MOVE Culver City." With an 85% approval rating from a 2023 survey, residents overwhelmingly supported these changes. The updates will restore the second automobile lane while expanding the reach and connectivity of the shared bus and bike lanes. Despite an expensive lawsuit brought forth by candidates McMorrin, Barba, and Fish to try to prevent these voter-approved changes, the city's progress will not be overshadowed.

Yes, you read that correctly. Sitting councilmember Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, and candidates Nancy Barba and Bryan "Bubba" Fish, spearheaded a lawsuit against Culver City. According to the judge's brief, their arguments lacked data, research, expert testimony, and empirical evidence. Their entire case hinged on the hope of winning City Council seats in the November 5, 2024 election.

As we know, the voting booths are still open for the 2024 election, and judges don't make decisions based on election speculations. You can read more about that here...

But back to the story—let’s focus on the shared bus and bike lanes.

On December 3, 2020, during a BPAC (Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee) meeting, Bryan "Bubba" Fish attempted to raise fears about the safety of shared bus and bike lanes:

Biking in a bus lane, the buses are going to be infrequent, so I understand. For me, I am not worried about it. I’m going to bike in the bus lane and feel safe. We’re talking about families commuting to school, or we’re talking about little kids learning how to bike in the street for the first time. This is a trial. The whole purpose of this is to try something out and see, and that’s why we’re doing it this way.

Fast forward to 2024, and the data collected over three years did not support Fish's worries. On September 19, 2024, Ryan Hund, Transit Operations Analyst, reported to BPAC that there were no conflicts between buses and bikes in the shared lanes since the MOVE Culver City project began:

This decision to create shared bus and bike lanes throughout the Downtown Culver City corridor was informed by the fact that in the almost three years of operation of the original MOVE Culver City project, there have been no reported conflicts between buses and bikes in the shared segments. Our bus operators are professionals. They are trained to safely share space with bikes. They are very aware of the fact they are driving the largest, heaviest vehicles on the road. We train them and they take that responsibility very seriously.

The overwhelming community support for the changes, coupled with real data showing effective coexistence between buses and bikes, clearly contradicts Bryan "Bubba" Fish's initial claims.

These lanes must work for all forms of mobility, and the data backs it up. McMorrin, Barba, and Fish dragged the city staff and attorneys into courtrooms for over a year, halting project updates and costing Culver City residents $200,000 in legal fees. It should be noted that McMorrin, Barba, and Fish are all named in the lawsuit, though they have not widely communicated this fact.

The real deal is that data collected by the consulting firm, Sam Schwartz Engineering, supports upgrading the project to its new design.

VOTE JEANNINE WISNOSKY STEHLIN, DENICE RENTERIA, AND ALBERT VERA FOR CITY COUNCIL TO FOCUS ON COMMON SENSE POLICIES AND TRANSPARENCY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT — NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Sources:

https://culver-city.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

https://moveculvercity.com/

https://data.culvercity.org/