Los Angeles raising speed limits...so they can write more speeding tickets

[Gil Bang 26091]

Los Angeles officials will consider raising speed limits on more than 100 miles of city streets, saying the changes are the only way to resolve a years-long problem that has prevented police officers from ticketing speeding drivers.

If the Los Angeles City Council approves the increases, speed limits would rise on some of the Southland’s most familiar thoroughfares, including San Vicente Boulevard through Mid-Wilshire and stretches of Reseda, Victory and Chandler boulevards in the San Fernando Valley.

 

The increases, introduced Wednesday, reflect a Catch-22 that city officials have faced for decades on dozens of miles of major streets: Raise the speed limit, or lose the ability to write most speeding tickets.

 

The dilemma stems from a decades-old California law designed to protect drivers from speed traps, which requires cities to post speed limits that reflect the natural speed of traffic. If a speed limit is too low, or if it is more than 7 years old, the police can’t use radar guns or other electronic devices to write speeding tickets there.

 

 

As recently as this summer, more than 200 miles of Los Angeles streets, including corridors that are among the deadliest for pedestrians and bicyclists, had expired limits and very little speed enforcement.

The Transportation Department’s proposal would raise the speed limit on 101.6 miles of streets, and would boost the share of streets where officers can write speeding tickets to 97.5%, officials said.

Nearly two-thirds of the street miles that would see higher speed limits are in the Valley, which has seen several waves of increases over the last decade on its broad, flat boulevards. Most Valley streets would see speeds rise to 40 mph and 45 mph.

The proposed increases follow the City Council’s decision last December to raise speed limits on 94 miles of streets, mainly in the Valley.

In total, about 19% of the streets that have been re-surveyed in the last few years will see increases, said Tim Conger, a senior engineer at the Transportation Department.

The city will also consider lowering speed limits on 11.5 miles of streets where traffic speeds have slowed, including a 2.1-mile stretch of Alvarado Street between Hoover Street and the 101 Freeway.

The proposed increases come as Los Angeles struggles to meet the goals of Vision Zero, Mayor Eric Garcetti’s directive to eliminate traffic deaths on city streets by 2025.

In 2017, 260 people were killed in traffic collisions on city streets — a 6% reduction over the 2016 death toll, but far short of the city’s 20% goal.

Speed is one of the determining factors in whether someone survives a traffic collision, experts say. A pedestrian struck by a driver going 20 mph has a 90% chance of survival, but at 40 mph, the chance of survival falls to a 20% chance, according to federal data.

Residents have approached the speed limit increases with trepidation, saying they are reluctant to see higher speed limits, but support more speed enforcement that targets the most dangerous drivers.

“Most people hate that choice,” said Westside Councilman Mike Bonin, whose district would see increases on nine streets, including portions of Sepulveda Boulevard and Centinela Avenue. “It’s one we can’t get out of, so far.”

Los Angeles officials have backed several attempts to change the state law that have failed in Sacramento. Until then, officials said in a report recommending the increases, the city “has no choice but to make counter-intuitive changes to speed limits in order for them to be enforceable.”

Under the proposal, two streets would see an increase to 50 mph: a 1.1-mile stretch of Sepulveda parallel to the 5 Freeway in Sylmar and Granada Hills, and a 1.8-mile stretch of Palisades Drive through the mountains in Pacific Palisades.

Nearly 29 miles of streets would see increases to 45 mph, including a 4-mile stretch of Wilbur Avenue through Porter Ranch and Northridge and a 4.5-mile stretch of Sepulveda parallel to the 405 Freeway in Bel-Air.

Two street segments would see a 10 mph increase, to 45 mph: Harry Bridges Boulevard in Wilmington, and Bell Canyon Road in West Hills.

During the Great Recession, Los Angeles fell far behind on updating speed studies as the Transportation Department’s speed study group lost five of its seven employees to hiring freezes, medical leave and early retirement.

As speed studies lapsed, the number of speeding tickets written by the LAPD plummeted 77% from 2010 to 2017.

“We’re raising these speed limits with the promise of increased enforcement,” said Jeff Jacobberger, a deputy for Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represents the West Valley. But, he said, residents in the area are concerned that more ticketing won’t materialize.

In February, the City Council authorized additional funding for LAPD traffic officers to begin enforcing the speed limits, transportation officials said.

Without radar guns or other electronic devices, police can estimate a vehicle’s speed by sight or by driving alongside it, methods that are less accurate and more likely to be thrown out in court.

Police can also use radar and laser devices to ticket speeders in school zones, where the limit is 25 mph when children are present, whether the street’s regular speed limit is current or not.

Also Wednesday, the LAPD said traffic officers will distribute educational pamphlets, reflective vests and LED lights to pedestrians who jaywalk.

About 107 of the 200 people killed in traffic crashes this year in Los Angeles were on foot, Police Chief Michel Moore said at a news conference.

“It’s not just an enforcement issue,” Moore said, according to City News Service. “This is a matter of education, a matter of awareness, and a matter of personal responsibility.”

[Fuck Tim Beck 3839]

Tax collectors with guns. 

[Dewey 3299]

Greed has never been bashful

[texasjacket 289]

California is addicted to taxes

[XYZ 2154]

That’s not a fucking catch-22.

[Lhorn 4992]

On 11/30/2018 at 3:42 AM, texasjacket said:

California is addicted to taxes

This is true 1000%. But there is very little speed trap that ive seen so I appreciate that I guess 

[Trey3216 15380]

So they have speed limits, but they can’t ticket people because those limits have been in place too long?!   What in the actual fuck!!??   What a regarded set of rules and principles 

[Neonmoon 38130]

The Aristocrats!

[Guest]

Kojak with a Kodak...

[gmr548 16618]

It's not like the roads are ever unclogged enough to drive the speed limit.

[FondrenRoad 4378]

So they have to change it every 7 years or can't use radar guns?  That is a dumbass law. 

They should just do the Texas small town thing.  Drop the speed limit 20 mph at random intervals and put the speed zone sign behind a tree. 

[Trey3216 15380]

1 minute ago, FondrenRoad said:

So they have to change it every 7 years or can't use radar guns?  That is a dumbass law. 

They should just do the Texas small town thing.  Drop the speed limit 20 mph at random intervals and put the speed zone sign behind a tree. 

That's what I was saying.  Absolutely idiotic that they have to change the law every 7 years for them to able to enforce.  Absolutely regarded.  

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

8 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

That's what I was saying.  Absolutely idiotic that they have to change the law every 7 years for them to able to enforce.  Absolutely regarded.  

Ca. says how you doin'.

[Trey3216 15380]

14 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Ca. says how you doin'.

Yep, CA gonna CA 

[immortal13 4059]

Sounds like they are admitting to putting revenue ahead of public safety. 

[Rusty Shackelford 414]

So they have to change it every 7 years or can't use radar guns?  That is a dumbass law. 
They should just do the Texas small town thing.  Drop the speed limit 20 mph at random intervals and put the speed zone sign behind a tree. 

I don’t think they are required to raise the speed limit every 7 years, but they are required to do a “speed study” every 7 years. If their study is like Texas, the speed limit is to be set at the 85th percentile of the measured traffic speed.

With that said it will probably result in most speed limits increasing, but I like the 7 year requirement to review the speed limits, I think Texas only suggests for speed studies to be updated every 10 years or so, but no hard law requiring action.

[David Dennison 19082]

On 12/4/2018 at 9:24 AM, immortal13 said:

Sounds like they are admitting to putting revenue ahead of public safety. 

Texas suffers from this.

See: TABC

[Lhorn 4992]

On 12/4/2018 at 6:52 AM, FondrenRoad said:

They should just do the Texas small town thing.  Drop the speed limit 20 mph at random intervals and put the speed zone sign behind a tree. 

Most all of my Texas tickets were due to this handy bit of police work.