Getting People to Slow Down on Colorado Boulevard

I was joined yesterday at a press conference by LAPD officials to discuss some things we’ve been working on since (and in some cases long before) a fatal crash on Colorado Boulevard left four people and an unborn infant dead on August 27. I talked about how our City’s department of Transportation agreed with my office to stagger more red lights on the busy thoroughfare between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. It’s a rarely used formula for the department charged with increasing traffic flow, but in this case, necessary. I also announced that more than a year ago my office had CalTrans and LADOT collaborate to put up a speed-sensor trigger coming off the nearby Ventura (134) Freeway to slow speeders down. We’ve also received federal funds to put up two speed indicator signs on Colorado Boulevard. In the six weeks following the crash, LAPD has written more than 600 traffic violations in the area. And by the end of the year, we will have about a dozen high-tech surveillance cameras in Eagle Rock and Highland Park to help LAPD battle crime and graffiti as well as assist in investigations, including crashes like the one we had recently. And lastly, I reminded folks that we as City officials can do everything possible to slow down traffic, but speeding is ultimately a personal choice. Please slow down. As the horrible crash on August 27th reminded us, the ramifications can be tragic.