Under the Radar!

KTLA covered the debate over the proposed speed limit increases in Woodland Hills and took an interesting approach which was to point out the folly of the current paradigm of speed limit enforcement.

I met Chip Yost up on Wells Drive so he could look at the lovely, quiet residential neighborhood that becomes a raceway when it's used as a cut-through during rush hour. Complaints about the speeding motorists led to an LADOT speed limit survey (during off-peak hours and with unobstructed flow of traffic) which resulted in a recommendation to increase the speed limit to match the prevailing speed of traffic.

The LAPD concurred, the Council office concurred and the City Attorney prepared an ordinance raising the speed limit.

Wells Drive was one of a half dozen West Valley speed limit increases on the Transportation Commission agenda for October 23 but at the last minute the agenda was revised and the items were pulled. (I had emailed the LADOT on October 21 requesting information on the 6 proposals...coincidence?)

The speed limit proposals were re-agendized for the November 13 Transportation Commission meeting. Before the Commission could act, LADOT's John Fisher and the LAPD's Officer Williams stood together and asked that the Wells Drive proposal be pulled from consideration. (KTLA had filmed Wells Drive on November 10...coincidence?)

Both Chip and I requested from the LADOT a list of surveyed roads. Chip's list doesn't have Wells Drive listed on it. Curious! In fact there are a lot of streets that aren't listed. Fisher reports that there are 700 streets for which speed zone surveys are maintained. Why is Chip's list missing over a 100 streets?

Anyway...Chip's report indicates that Councilman Zine of the 3rd District "supports changing state laws, and today introduced a motion at city council supporting a review of how to improve the way speed limits are determined."

If this is true, then something good may come out of all of this brouhaha. Until then...

"See you on the Streets!"