Big Blue Bus to Halt Travel on Marquez Avenue in Pacific Palisades

Santa Monica BBB Route 9 buses traveling through the narrow two-way Marquez Avenue with three schools (Marquez Charter Elementary, Le Lycée Français and Montessori School) instead of down Sunset Boulevard, are set to become a thing of the past.

Locals have been concerned about the route ever since the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and Metro altered its bus routes to detour down Marquez Avenue in Pacific Palisades to address redesigning a dangerous intersection in March this year.

A motorcyclist died at the intersection on Nov. 25, 2012 after colliding with a Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, lobbying by locals intensified.

After much lobbying from the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association, and the local schools and residents, Big Blue Bus and LADOT have finally reached an agreement.

Following a recent MKPOA meeting, Councilman Mike Bonin’s Sr. Counsel and Westside Representative Norman Kulla announced that an agreement had been reached between LADOT and BBB on the reconfiguration of the west intersection/island of Marquez Ave. and Sunset to allow the public buses to reverse their westbound route and return eastbound onto Sunset without the need to travel on Marquez Ave. 

The work for the re-configuration of the intersection/island will start in October.  According to a BBB release, once construction of the new turnaround is completed, buses will resume end of line service on Marquez Avenue at Sunset Boulevard so that the buses will no longer travel westbound on Marquez.