Big Blue Bus Detour Now Runs Past Marquez Charter Elementary

The Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Web site states that the detour is temporary but no end date has been given. To see the alert, click here.

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        Sparked by a fatal motorcycle accident that took the life of 25-year-old Patrick O’Dell on November 20, the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Company (BBB) is now detouring the Route 9 bus line through the Marquez Knolls area—past Marquez Elementary.

       At the time of the accident on Sunset at western Marquez Avenue, municipal buses traveling westbound on that stretch of Sunset were legally allowed to turn right on Marquez Avenue and maneuver around the large triangle in order to return to Sunset and head back towards town.

       Suja Lowenthal, manager of transit government and community relations for the BBB, previously told the Post that buses had been using that intersection for more than three decades.

      After a Palisadian-Post article highlighted the obscure triangle, both City and BBB officials received numerous phone calls and e-mails about this issue. However, after the accident, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (DOT) removed the bus exempt sign at the Marquez/Sunset intersection. This forced the BBB to use the alternate route from eastern Marquez (at the business block) to the western intersection where buses were previously exempted and were allowed to make the left turn, said a BBB official.

     According to the DOT, buses are no longer allowed to make left turns from the right -turn pocket on westbound Marquez and Sunset. Plus, buses can no longer make U-turns using the island at Marquez and Sunset. The DOT is asking for the public’s patience as they look into ways of minimizing the dangers of this intersection.

     Starting today, the BBB will not be offering service at the following stops on the westbound side of Sunset Boulevard: Marquez (Baylor), Livorno Drive, Salerno Drive and Arno Way. Passengers traveling westbound will now have to reach these destinations on the return trip. View the attached map to see the exact route. The red arrow on the map indicates where buses will have a layover.