Dear Editor,
The neighbors I spoke to over the weekend about the new turn restrictions in place on the 10800 block of Farragut Drive had great apprehension about the opening day of school at the CCUSD Quad-Campus. There seemed to be little public notification that left turns into the parking lot in front of the Natatorium would no longer be allowed. What does it take to get drivers to observe the rules of the road around Culver City’s largest school complex? I make it about half-a-dozen or so of CCPD’s finest. Of course once the police left, [no longer were] vehicles observing the stop signs.
I did not observe any vehicles using the new white zone in front of CCHS. The CCPD unit parked there may have kept people from seeing that the curb is no longer painted red.
My sense was that more students were being told to get out of the vehicle and walk because of the usual back-up of vehicles from Elenda to Overland, down Farragut Drive. It might have been safer if the vehicles weren’t still in the flow of traffic when they unloaded.
These new restrictions are a good sign that the City Council, CCUSD School Board and CCPD are going to implement changes to make the CCUSD Quad-Campus residential neighborhoods safer for students and residents. There is essentially a parking lot that parallels Culver Blvd from Overland Avenue to Elenda that could be developed for school drop-off. The CCUSD Complex on Overland Avenue would be another choice for a drop-off that would get school traffic for 4,000 students out of the residential neighborhoods.
I think we have seen a good effort to mitigate the traffic problem around the Quad-Campus while the City works to implement some form of “Safe Routes to School” program. So, what’s the next step?
Respectfully
John L. Heyl
Editor’s Note: The next step should be steppin’ out – A majority of students are close enough to walk or bike to school. We need more bike racks, not more traffic regs.
Be the first to comment