Despite the concerns of residents and activists, the Los Angeles Transportation Committee will consider Wednesday whether to raise the speed limit on three San Fernando Valley streets — a necessary step in order for the city to legally use radar enforcement.
California law requires that cities survey street speed at least every seven years and set the speed limit according to how fast 85% of motorists are travelling, according to the department of transportation. Last year, transportation commissioners recommended that the committee increase the speed limit on the three valley streets from 35 mph to 40 mph.
The streets include Arleta Avenue between Devonshire Street and Roscoe Boulevard; Sheldon Street between Glenoaks Boulevard and Roscoe Boulevard; and Hollywood Way between the city limits of Burbank and Glenoaks Boulevard.
A traffic survey by the Los Angeles Police Department found that 88% of motorists would be considered speed violators if the current 35 miles per hour speed limit were to be retained on a section of Hollywood Way. Similar surveys on Arleta Avenue found that around 56% of drivers would have breached the speed limit; and on Sheldon Street around 46% would have been driving above the allowed speed.
It is up to the transportation committee, which is composed of five L.A. City County members, to make recommendations on the speed-limit increase and submit the issue to the entire council for consideration, said Sharon Gin, the committee’s legislative assistant.
Many residents, cyclists and community activists plan to make their voices heard at the session.
“Our streets are not safe for humans,” said Stephen Box, a community activist and cyclist. “They are designed for speed, and speed kills.”
Box and others are calling on city officials to redesign the streets in a way that would encourage motorists to drive slower.
Dorothy Le, director of policy and planning for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, said her group is suggesting remedies such as more speed bumps, curb cut-outs and making roads narrower.
Mike O’Gara, president of the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council, said he was particularly concerned about the safety of students walking to the several schools located on or near Arleta Avenue.
“I understand that the speed limit in these school zones is 25 miles per hour, but it is difficult to brake from 40 miles an hour to 25 in a short distance,” O’Gara said.
— Ann M. Simmons