Michael Rosen

Michael grew up in Olympia, Washington, and attended UC Berkeley prior to returning to graduate school for urban planning at UCLA. His professional experience includes working as a legislative assistant for the City of Berkeley, a journalist, and an editor at Apple News and SFGate. Currently, he works as a Graduate Student Researcher for the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies where he is an associate editor for Transfers Magazine.

Project Overview

One of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s (LADOT) many responsibilities is the striping of streets across the city of Los Angeles. Recently, LADOT decided to reevaluate whether the yellow center-left turn lanes implemented as part of a citywide policy in the 1970s are providing the intended safety benefits. Last year, Kimberly Venegas’s capstone found that these center-left turn lanes provide a clear reduction in severe and fatal accidents on highly trafficked corridors – but there remains a question as to whether or not these center-left turn lanes provide similar benefits on quieter streets. My capstone seeks to provide clarity on this question.

Who are the partners involved in this project and how will you be working with them?

My partner and primary client on this project is Severin Martinez of LADOT. He is bringing his expertise from advising previous capstones and his work for the agency. Additionally, he’s providing me with data and guidance on the best ways to move forward.

How do you hope that this project will impact the field moving forward?

If my hypothesis is proven correct, I’m hoping that cities can better prioritize how street space is allocated. Preferably, they can do so in ways that help make places safer and more sustainable moving forward.