http://www.vimeo.com/3681123

Sam Dubin has been covering the Speedwatch team and has a new video. Share it with your Westside friends. Spread the word. Take no prisoners.

LAPD and volunteers from Safe Westside are working together to form citizen Speedwatch teams. The teams will be monitoring speeders, taking their photographs and reporting them to LAPD for further action. For more information, or if you want to volunteer, send us an email at speedwatch@safepalisades.com.

The Livable Streets Initiative is an organization that is re-envisioning our cities, reversing decades of automobile-dominated planning and policy to create healthier, more sustainable urban environments, better prepared to meet the challenges of the new century. They have a network of great websites filled with information and videos about the movement and affecting change. LA.STREETSBLOG.ORG is local, up-to-the-minute information on the movement in Los Angeles. STREETFILMS.ORG is chock-full of great video from around the world on traffic, safety and transportation design.

For those who are trying to get a quick overview, StreetFilms has their 10 must see videos here.

What do you get when you cross a cross-walk with a speedbump?

How About Physically Separated Bike Lanes?

More Resources:

• Livable Streets Initiative
• StreetFilms
• LA.StreetsBlog.org
• SpeakUporelse.com
• A great post about the global campaigns against reckless driving

LAPD West Traffic Commander Captain Nancy Lauer dispatched police officer D.D. Gregg with a speeding task force to Palisades Drive on Saturday to make drivers aware of the speed limits that they routinely ignore. The team, armed with the latest laser speed guns pulled-over 25+ motorists per hour during the morning and early afternoon.

The team, made up of active duty and police reserve units, was practicing and coordinating their efforts for upcoming deployments. Police say that they will be in the canyon on nights and weekends, at all hours. Some drivers still warn speeders of the police presence, by flashing their lights, and their pictures appear below.

At approximately 6:20 PM this evening, a two car collision occurred on Sunset Boulevard at Temescal Canyon Road. This location is a busy many-way intersection that has seen a plethora of accidents over the years due to its complexity. This particular accident was between a two cars headed opposite directions on Sunset, one presumably trying to turn left. I and two fellow members of the community responded first, and Station 69 arrived within five minutes. The elderly lady driving the car with side impact damage suffered minor injury, and the adult woman in the other car did not report any injuries. The police showed up soon thereafter and cleared the scene.

The Palisades has lost many fine members of its community in local road related accidents in the last few years. In memory of all the victims of our dreadful roads, can we finally say enough is enough? Can we say never again? Can we make a stand and make a change? Pledge today to help save lives.

The PLEDGE to SAVE LIVES

http://pledge.safewestside.com

 

In order to prevent the senseless deaths of more members of our community, I hereby pledge not to speed, drive recklessly or drive under the influence. I further pledge to watch out for my friends and loved ones, and it is my hope that they will watch out for me. I pledge to communicate my concern to any friend or loved one driving in an unsafe or dangerous manner. If my suggestion does not cause that person to change his or her driving habits, then I pledge to communicate this information to his or her parents, partner or family member. If I’m told that someone close to me is speeding, driving recklessly or driving under the influence, I pledge to take immediate action to help change his or her driving habits. If I’m a parent and I’m given such information, I pledge to take immediate steps to restrict my child’s ability to drive a motor vehicle.

The Pledge to Save Lives exists as part of an ongoing effort to help prevent future road related accidents in the Westside community, part of the grassroots Safe Westside effort. Sunset Boulevard, Palisades Drive, and Pacific Coast Highway, three of the most dangerous roads in Los Angeles, see countless accidents each year, many of them extremely severe. While engineering conditions are partially to blame, they are mostly out of our hands. As responsible members of the community, though, it is our job to do our part to help prevent senseless losses on our roads in any way we can.

By pledging, one agrees to drive safely and responsibly and to do one’s part to encourage others to do the same. This means personally not speeding, driving recklessly, or driving while under the influence, and it means taking steps to protect others as well. Those who pledge agree to speak to their peers and explain the dangers of our roads. Some will listen, and some will not. For those that won’t, pledgers agree to speak to their loved ones – a parent might be able to better stop their child, or a wife to better stop their husband. But, we understand that this is not always easy, and thus, on this website, one can ask for an anonymous intervention by a concerned member of the community.

LEARN more. What you can do for yourself. What you can do for others.

PLEDGE to save lives. Join your neighbors, family, and friends in making a stand.

TELL those you care about. Be proactive. Communicate the dangers of speed and reckless driving.

INTERVENE for someone. Help save the life of someone you care about.

A single car accident resulting in a flipped SUV and a lane closure by LAPD occurred this morning (March 4, 2009) around 7:30 AM on Sunset Boulevard headed westbound just past the Allenford intersection by Paul Revere Middle School. This is a notorious segment of Sunset that has seen numerous serious accidents over the years. The wreck was just being cleared at 8:45 AM, and the driver was not present at this time (when these photos were taken). The current condition of those involved in the accident is unknown. It is also unknown if there were any passengers.

An SUV and a truck collided head-on at Sunset,  just west of Brooktree this afternoon. Several ambulances were seen transporting individuals from the scene.

Two cars collided on Susnset Boulevard on Monday,  March 2nd on Sunset, just east of Las Casas around 2:30 PM. No injuries were reported.

The SPEED WATCH program is one of several traffic safety projects generated by recent street-accident tragedies in the Palisades. It is part of the newly-created SAFE WESTSIDE, a coalition of parents, students, concerned citizens and businesses working toward making our local driving environment safer for everyone.

SPEED WATCH will coordinate the training of people by the Police Department to use radar guns on some of our most dangerous local streets – primarily Palisades Drive and Sunset Blvd. Our goal is t o get motorists to slow down, drive responsibly and respect speed limits. Teams of two or three people will use these radar devices and will record vehicle descriptions and license plates of speeders. They will furnish that information to the police who will send written warnings by mail to the speeders. It is hoped that this activity will get drivers to slow down, resulting in fewer accidents and saving lives.

Anyone who is 16 years old and older is eligible to volunteer. Students who dedicate a certain number of hours may be eligible for high school or college community service credit. Each volunteer will undergo a 4 to 6 hour period of group training by the West LA Traffic Division, which will be conducted at convenient times, most likely on weekends. Volunteers participating in this program should be willing to commit an average of at least 3 to 4 hours per week over a 6 month period. Teams will always have at least one adult member. The police will conduct routine background checks of potential volunteers.

The SPEED WATCH program is being coordinated by Palisades residents Paul Glasgall, Deborah Lloyd, Gene Bollens and David Eagle with assistance from Cathy Dwyer, Steve Cron and Eric Bollens.

If you are interested in participating, have questions or would like more information, contact speedwatch@safewestside.com or call (310) 459-7289 For more information on other programs and activities of Safe Westside log onto safewestside.com.