Speak to any local Palisadian and you’ll almost certainly hear stories, time after time, of fast approaching headlights late at night on Palisades Drive, or of roaring cars and bikes as they barreling down Sunset Boulevard. However, in recent months, this has become a less frequent occurrence, especially in the Palisades Highlands, thanks in part to a pervasive community awareness concerning the dangers of the roads and in part to the combined efforts of the Los Angeles Police Department, the local private security companies, and our local Speed Watch volunteers.

This is not to say that the job is anywhere near done.

To the contrary, as time passes, the task grows more daunting. As months go by, those who have most profoundly felt the impact of these losses do not forget; however, for many others, the memory fades. New drivers excitedly get their licenses, a newfound sort of freedom. Others notice that the police presence is not as constant as it used to be, and the ominous reminders of past crashes loose some of their power.

This the case, here is my continued call to action. We cannot relent in our pursuit to avoid the senseless loss of life that has become a running theme on our local roadways. In February, the newly constituted Safe Westside pinned three elements as key to our effort: enforcement, education and engineering.

Enforcement has had a visible impact thus far. In the past nine months, police officers have worked in the canyon on more than thirty occasions. In conjunction with hundreds of warning letters issued by the police on behalf of the Speed Watch volunteers, we’ve seen a dramatic decrease in the average speed of motorists on Palisades Drive. This effort must continue. It cannot ease up, or its impact will wane.

Education has rejuvenated an understanding of the dangers on our roads. In Spring 2009, Safe Westside facilitated four assemblies at Palisades Charter High School that reached more than 1200 in attendance, and even more through the reporting efforts of the high school newspaper, the Palisades Post, and the Los Angeles Times. This year, even more assemblies are planned in an attempt to continue the message both at Pali High and in other local schools. In addition, many in the local community have also signed the Pledge to Save Lives. These efforts must not cease.

Sadly, engineering efforts have faltered behind the other two, though they have still made forward progress. Several stop signs have been added in the Highlands, as well as other minor road modifications on Sunset and other local streets, but, in a time of budgetary cuts, it has proven rather difficult to get any such changes passed through, though the effort continues.
In all three areas, we have a long road ahead of us.

January 31, 2009, October 22, 2008, November 7, 2007, July 5, 2007, and April 11, 2001. These are days that will never be forgotten. These are days when our roads tragically claimed members of our small community. They were not the first, but let’s do our part in an attempt to make them the last.

For general information or to get involved with other Safe Westside endeavors, please contact info@safewestside.com. To get involved with Speed Watch, please email speedwatch@safewestside.com. To take the Pledge to Save Lives, please visit http://pledge.safewestside.com.