The Westside Morns Julia Siegler in a Terrible Accident

A 13-year-old girl trying to catch her school bus to Harvard-Westlake Middle School on Friday was struck by two vehicles and pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the police.

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A Lexus Hybrid SUV, pulling out of Lower Palisades Circle to make a left hand turn, was struck by a truck heading up Palisades Drive this morning. Only minor injuries were reported.

Several accidents have occurred at the intersection and residents of the Palisades Highlands have asked city officials, in the past, for a controlled intersection at Palisades Drive and Lower Palisades Circle.  The requests were denied. The intersections in this part of Palisades Drive are particularly dangerous because the slope of the incline prevents good visibility for both drivers coming up the hill and drivers attempting to turn left.

On November 17, around 4 am a car driven by a teen ran off the road and crashed in the canyon. This car was caught speeding a week ago by the speedwatch team, doing 56 in the 35 mph zone. We were not in time to head off this near tragedy but we are on the right road.

Captain Lauer from West Los Angeles Traffic has provided overwhelming police presence over the last several days. Let me make it clear once again, we and the police are here to try and send a message to slow down. This has nothing to do with raising money, they can catch speeders in any of dozens of locations but we are fortunate to have them here. If the canyon is determined to be a construction zone due to the reservoir, your speeding tickets will go to about $800-$1000. What can you do to prevent the next fatality?

• Slow down
• Tell your kids to slow down
• Pay attention when driving.

The life you save, may be your own.

[vimeo width="570" height="456"]http://vimeo.com/3681123[/vimeo]

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

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.