Why I support the Life Before License Campaign - a personal story

One of the more common person on person crimes committed on our streets is that of Hit and Run. Because these crimes are under-reported, they occur more than we realize. My suspicion is that the number of incidents have increased over the years and in direct correlation to the escalation in punishment for drunk driving. People, when faced with DUI charges, have an enormous incentive to run due to the disparity in punishment between DUI and hit and run crimes. I've learned a great deal about hit and run law the hard way... through experience.

Photo taken after I was helped to the
curb from the middle of Glendale Blvd.

As a hit and run survivor, I know the lonely feeling of being left for dead after a collision. On May 19th 2009 I was riding a bicycle on Glendale blvd. I was doing everything right, I had the brightest lights money could buy, I was wearing a helmet, and I was riding in a legal, vehicular fashion when a driver plowed into me from behind at an estimated speed of 50 mph. It was 1 AM and the streets were relatively empty. My bike crumpled as it collided with the grill and my body sunk in to the hood of the gray 4 door 2009 Jaguar. I was carried and thrown some 50 feet and then.... left to fend for myself in the middle of the street. I saw it coming. The driver was speeding, swerving and out of control. I tried to move out of the way but it all happened so fast. Laying face down on the ground, blurry eyed, and in shock I still managed to get most of the plate numbers. Before I even moved I tweeted them on my smashed phone, afraid I would forget the numbers. Fearful of getting hit by another car I was able to crawl to the curb with the help of a security guard and a friend who arrived minutes later. I was taken to the hospital and released that morning - luckily - with only bruises and injuries to my spine, back, elbows and tailbone. Fortunately my helmet and street clothes had protected my body to a degree. Not everyone is as lucky as I was. In fact, just months before, a hit and run victim died not 30 yards from where I had landed.

You can see my phone in hand
which I used to tweet the plate number.

Still in great pain, the next day I called the LAPD thinking that having the plate numbers would mean an all out man hunt. On cop shows they always move quick when there are leads in the case right? Sadly, I was dead wrong. The officer who answered seemed almost annoyed that I called. "Did you get hurt?" I was smashed and thrown 50 feet onto the pavement, taken to the hospital and my bike was destroyed. "Did you break any bones?" No, but I'm bruised up, I can barely walk, and my back sustained heavy injury. "Well, it's going to take a couple weeks to run the plates. You only got 6 of the 7 numbers and you didn't break any bones..." I was told to "drive around the area" and "see if I could spot something." I was truly dismayed. What I didn't understand at the time was that hit and runs are so common on our streets that the police and city hardly have the resources lest someone dies. In fact, hit and run crime priority for the police is measured by the injury sustained not by the crime alone.

Video still of the car at the shop

6GYC611... I will never forget that plate number, which turned out to be registered to a car belonging to a man named Glenn Gritzner a politically connected person of sorts who had no priors on his record and seemed to otherwise be an upstanding financially responsible citizen. I was fortunate enough to have friends in high places my damn self, namely a young and scrappy lawyer named Danny Jimenez who had a connection in the CHP. It took all of 10 minutes to run the plates and car description turning up a potential match just two miles from the point of impact. It is worth noting that this officer put his neck on the line by handing over the info to Jimenez. The City Attorney pushed me hard to find out who the source of the plate ID was. I refused at first not wanting this person to get in trouble, but the courageous officer whose first name is Gio was vehement in moving forward. I am truly thankful for this man's dedication to justice and I consider him and Jimenez to be true heroes.
 

Video still of the car at the shop

Armed with the registered owner's info, Jimenez and I scoured Google, Facebook and everywhere else. We uncovered a lot of information and miraculously found the location where the car was being repaired. Rusnak Pasadena. According to the repair order, Gritzner himself had turned in the car just hours after the incident. 9:39 AM to be exact. "Yes the car is getting repaired - new bumper, grill and  hood it will be ready by Friday" said the receptionist. 


Just 4 days after the incident, I made my way down to the LAPD Central Division, and turned in the comprehensive evidence Jimenez and I had gathered. Photos, Blog posts, Facebook archives, address, phone number, maps, even video of the car being repaired... "Wow. You did all the work for us." proclaimed the detective on duty. "Sign here please and check back in a couple weeks." By now I wasn't expecting much from the police and to their defense, the men and women of LAPD Central Division work in complete squalor. The station, located in the heart of Skid Row was dark and dingy, the computers were old and there was paperwork stacked everywhere. Our city is broke and it showed. Detective Wilson was eventually assigned to my case and she worked hard - sometimes even on her days off - going out of her way to subpoena crucial evidence from the insurance company. The police report states that Gritzner admitted to hitting me, but sadly the judge ruled that this evidence could not be used against him in court due to "attorney client privilege."

In the end, Gritzner never actually had to set foot in the courtroom. After a ferocious fight through his private attorney, Gritzner plead no contest to one count of misdemeanor hit and run "stipulating to the facts in the case" which meant that he did not dispute the official version of what happened that night and that I could move forward with relative ease in the civil matter. It was a long process to justice, taking  about a year for the criminal side and an additional 6 or 7 months for the civil side. His punishment? A $500 fine and 30 days of Cal Trans clean up. It became clear to me at that point why some people choose to run.

Truth is, we can never know why most hit and run perpetrators leave their victims behind since most are never identified.. but hypothetically speaking, if a driver is drunk, running away pays off. The punishment for hit and run crimes is far weaker than DUI let alone DUI with a collision resulting in bodily harm. When a driver stays at the scene and is found drunk, they usually spend at least one night in jail and have a whole mess of legal issues and expenses to deal with. This alone is enormous incentive to run. I hold he system accountable above all else.


As of this posting the killer of Chatsworth High student German Alex Romero is still at large along with countless other hit and run criminals. Romero will unfortunately not be the last person killed on our streets.


SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE....





LIFE BEFORE LICENSE CAMPAIGN

Safe Streets Northridge proudly endorses the "Life Before License" campaign. An initiative put together by Dr. Alex Thompson and Bikeside LA. It calls for the automatic suspension of a driver's license for ANY hit and run crime be it against drivers, cyclists or pedestrians with varying lengths of suspension pending the severity of the damage and injury with death carrying the heaviest punishment. We forget in this car-centric country that driving is a privilege, not a right and judges and the system are far too lenient in the way it treats drivers. This results in a lax atmosphere of accountability on our streets, a recipe for death.

Join me in endorsing the Life Before License campaign. If you know of any group or political figure who can help PLEASE contact myself or Alex Thompson. I will be introducing a motion this Tuesday at the Northridge West Neighborhood Council where I expect unanimous support. Come out and support this very important initiative to make our streets safer.

LIFE BEFORE LICENSE CAMPAIGN:

WHEREAS 32% of all collisions in Los Angeles are hit and run, AND

WHEREAS leaving the scene of a collision is a failure to take responsibility for one’s actions and the safety of others, and therefore demonstrates a tendency to drive unsafely, AND

WHEREAS currently there is not a mandated loss of driving privileges for those convicted of hit and run, AND

WHEREAS judges sentencing convicted hit and runners rarely take away the perpetrator’s driving privileges,

Safe Streets Northridge hereby endorses the Life Before License campaign to change California law so that once convicted of a hit and run, perpetrators will automatically lose all driving privileges, and that the duration of the loss will correspond to the severity of the impact of the hit and run as follows:

1. A hit and run which results in fatality will result in the loss of driving privileges for 10 years.
2. A hit and run which results in permanent disability, or causes a life threatening injury will result in the loss of driving privileges for 5 years.
3. A hit and run which results in injury, but which does not lead to permanent disability or a life threatening injury, will result in the loss of driving privileges for 2 years.
4. A hit and run which results in the damage of property only will result in the loss of driving privileges for 1 year.

---

 Dr. Alex Thompson states:

In LA, 32% of all collisions are hit and run [2008 SWITRS data, California Highway Patrol.] In other words, Los Angelinos involved in a collision have a nearly 2 in 5 chance of being left to fend for themselves.  Worse, in those cases where a hit and run perpetrator is caught and convicted, judges rarely take away the convicts driving privileges.  Life Before License, a campaign started by the cycling advocacy organization Bikeside, will seek mandatory loss of driving privileges for convicted hit and run perpetrators.

 

The cycling community has been a leader in identifying this problem, which is ironic given that cyclists involved in collisions are less likely to be left as victims of hit and run, 23% [LAPD, 2008 SWITRS data analysis], not more likely.  Hit and run is a problem for everyone on our streets.

It’s a problem by definition.  A hit and run perpetrator leaves the scene, and continues to drive.  In leaving the scene they send a signal - they will not take responsibility for their actions, they will not take care of another person in need.  In continuing to drive, they put us all at risk.

Of all the people who we can issue drivers licenses to, aren’t these the worst candidates?  And yet prosecutors have refused to ask for revocation of driving privileges on the basis that they will have difficulty getting to their job, and therefore difficulty paying restitution.  Similarly, judges in the same breath have given the convicted a litany of treatments for driving under the influence, and then done nothing to address the convicted drivers driving privileges.  This is not sane - to put drivers who have demonstrated their lack of respect for life and property behind the wheel again.

So, Life Before License seeks mandatory loss of driving privileges for those convicted of hit and run, to commence at the termination of any related period of incarceration, with the length of loss directly tied to the impact of the convicts hit and run:

1. - fatality --> 10 years

2. - permanent disability or life threatening injury --> 5 years

3. - other injury --> 2 years

4. - property damage only --> 1 year.

Re-Re-Striping Begins. Smith asks LADOT to install $45,000 "Drag Race"

Crews were spotted scraping up the lane markings on Wilbur Ave. yesterday afternoon. At a cost equivalent to Northridge West's entire annual budget, Councilman Smith has decided to go ahead with the LADOT "compromise" plan for Wilbur Ave. This plan, rejected by the joint NWNC/PRNC board, will place a 45mph rated merge south of Devonshire right up to the Mayall intersection where more than 100 residents have asked for a crosswalk. Instead they will be getting a $45,000 finish line. Pleas were made to nearly everyone possible including Asst. GM John Fisher and GM Amir Sedadi of the LADOT to re-consider the 45mph merge portion of the "compromise" but obviously those calls have been ignored.

Meanwhile 3 days have passed and there has yet to be a peep from Smith's office about the at large hit and run killer currently roaming the West Valley. Perhaps that $45,000 would have better been served as a reward?

Safe Streets Northridge will be monitoring the Mayall drag race situation via video and providing updates in the near future.

Until then check this video out - the striping is not even complete and the drag races have begun! Notice the speed at which the FED-EX van launches into the neighborhood. I tried to keep pace but gave up at the 60mph mark. Think this scenario won't play out at every single hour of the day?

Pedal to the metal (think this guy is observing the speed limit?)





What Mayall / Wilbur used to look like before the drag race merge:

Smith made sure that the crews came out during the day this time.

Looking north towards Devonshire where the drag race begins.

The briefly quieter more peaceful Mayall intersection soon to have painted in conflict.

Hit and Run Killer at large in West Valley

A 17 year old Chatsworth High student was killed last night by a hit and run driver at approximately 9pm near the intersection of Valerio and DeSoto. Please be on the look out for a Toyota Corolla or Camry hatchback, described as possibly gray in color with moderate to severe damage to the front passenger side of the vehicle.

Police urge anyone with information to call 818-644-8034 or 818-644-8032





Please read more about the crime here:
http://laist.com/2011/04/21/chatsworth_high_senior_killed_by_hi.php
http://chatsworth.patch.com/articles/chatsworth-high-senior-killed-in-hit-and-run-accident


Approximate location of the crime:


View Larger Map


None of the news reports are clear on model year but these photos are generally what the car MIGHT look like:

Councilman Greig Smith overrides NC's / community, moves ahead with publicly rejected LADOT plan.

Councilman Smith, in a short paragraph on the CD12 website announced his recommendation that the LADOT go ahead with the proposed compromise plan. This despite the fact that many in the community are outraged at being given only one choice, a choice that both camps are dissatisfied with for different reasons.

Painting in a 45mph Rated Bottleneck in a residential area?
The one truly controversial portion of the LADOT compromise is the high speed rated merge just south of Devonshire that re-creates the very same scenario that led to problems and crashes under the old "4 lane" configuration at Plummer and Dearborn streets. Installment of this merge is in fact a slap in the face to the many residents near Mayall who have been asking for a crosswalk who will now find themselves with an even more difficult intersection to cross on foot sans crosswalk.

As you can see in the diagram below, the proposed solution to the back up problem at Devonshire is to create a 2 lane merge immediately south of Devonshire to shift the peak traffic backup. However, anyone and everyone who has looked at this plan can see the induced drag race scenario that will play out with every green light at Devonshire south as traffic crazed parents and commuters will suddenly find themselves having to compete for position right up to the Mayall intersection. Some drivers will be slowing to make a right turn while other drivers will just be settling into their merged position, while still others focused on their left side mirrors and traffic behind them will have less attention to pay to what's in front of them. A recipe for disaster. This says nothing of the historic speeding that will be achieved during NON PEAK driving time (22-23 hours of the day.)

Pual Kirk, a neighborhood resident who himself collected 300 petitions in support of the Road Diet states: "In accommodating the ingress-egress problem the gated communities Ridgegate and Bellcourt have north of Devonshire, (which needed to be addressed), what sense does it make to move the gated communities problem south to the land-locked community of Tuba/Crebs and the Mayall community west of Wilbur?  Is it fair to simply transfer problems that gated communities have to older land-locked communities that are not gated? If the high speed merge is to be included in the plan, a traffic light at Mayall is imperative for the safety of the neighborhood."


LADOT "COMPROMISE:" A drag race from Devonshire to Mayall!

The LADOT is proposing a 45 mph high speed merge just south of Devonshire. The finish line? Mayall, where more than a hundred residents asked for a crosswalk.

  

Pushing this plan forward is irresponsible.
9 months ago Councilman Smith set forth a process to engage the community because, as he said, the LADOT did not. Yet, after the LADOT plan was rejected by the very process that he created, Smith is now apparently pushing the plan forward anyway. The fact is that, after 4 Wilbur Working Group meetings, One huge town hall meeting, and a lot of citizen volunteer work, the LADOT only ever presented ONE option to the Wilbur Working Group (at the second of 4 meetings.) This compromise plan was eventually REJECTED by both "for" and "against" public voices on the matter at the joint PRNC and NWNC town hall meeting including a rejection by the voting body itself.  Had Smith actually shown up to the townhall meeting (or any of the meetings) perhaps he would have seen the dismay from all camps first hand and worked to provide a better solution. Instead, Smith has elected to scrap the recommendations of the joint committee all together, ignoring the wishes of the community for more options and instead spending $40,000 in scarce public money to implement a plan that is flawed in a very serious way.

Prediction based on historical DATA: 

Increased conflict and collisions at Mayall.

Based on previous data at Dearborn and Wilbur we know there is a strong likelihood that collisions will increase over the current configuration at Mayall. There is evidence that conditions will be worse as both Plummer and Dearborn bottlenecks presented merges ending at traffic lights while the Mayall merge begins with a traffic light at Devonshire a quarter mile before the Mayall intersection where the merge ends.

IGNORED SOLUTION!! 4 lanes to Devonshire NO 45mph rated merge. Install Crosswalk at Mayall / Wilbur.

The LADOT has identified that the problem area is between Chatsworth and Devonshire in the mornings during peak traffic. According to the official traffic counts the congestion occurs from 7:30-7:55am and is largely due to Nobel school drop off. This can be fixed by implementing MOST of the LADOT compromise plan while preserving the residential character of the current configuration south of Devonshire as shown in this alternative proposal. The alternative proposal would also include a crosswalk at Mayall.  The crosswalk was unanimously endorsed by the Northridge West Neighborhood Council on February 8th.

The alternate plan rejected by Smith and the LADOT would satisfy the stated desires of Ridge Gate and Belcourt gated communities to the north of Devonshire while preserving the safety and residential character of the area south of Devonshire.

Councilman Smith announces his decision to go against the wishes of the public body he created.

Northidge South Neighborhood Council unanimously supports completion of Reseda bike lanes.

The Northridge South Neighborhood Council voted 12-0 to endorse the completion of the Reseda Bike lanes from Roscoe to Parthenia. This particular stretch of road would be the final piece needed to complete a vital north - south bicycle friendly option in the west valley region. Among many important aspects of this project is connecting the orange line bike path to CSUN. If Northridge is truly to be a "college town" as the Northridge Vision plan comes to shape we will need to provide students with more options to get to and from school. Many residents in the CSUN area have raised issues with student off site car parking. Encouraging bicycle commuting to CSUN would work to alleviate some of that problem. Though the bicycle lane does briefly become replaced by sharrows just north and south of Sherman Way (the jury is still out if the sharrow pilot in that area is having any kind of affect) generally speaking, Reseda Blvd. bike lanes will be complete should this plan get the pass from Greig smith's office. In a reversal of recent process, an LADOT representative presented the street diagrams to the stakeholders in giant b/w print outs accompanied by a verbal run through of the plan and timeline for implementation. This was my first visit to NSNC and I was surprised to find a friendly and supportive board who seemed to receive the many bike lane supporters in the audience with open arms. At one point a speaker asked the board if any of them cycle regularly and several raised their hands.  Glen Bailey BAC Chairman, led the effort to notify 100+ businesses along the block between Napa and Chase that will lose some parking on the east side of the street. He reported reactions both for and against with a mjority for. A fast food restaurant with a large parking lot on the block received the news very well stating that several of it's workers get to work via bicycle. Indeed, one businessman did show and make public comment that he was concerned about the safety of the street and the potential issues related to the loss of parking.

View Reseda Bike Lanes proposed connection in a larger map

Mother and Daughter supporters ride bikes in the area

Among the many supporters was a mother and her daughter who ride a bike in the area. Other businesses who supported the lane including not surprisingly, Cycle World were also present. After public comment the council addressed the concerned businessman directly asking how he felt now that he heard the public support. He responded with a change of heart and seemed genuinely opened to the idea.

Calls for a safer Wilbur Ave. 13 years ago....

Calls for a safer Wilbur date back to 1998

Northridge Community Plan specifically mentions Wilbur Ave. as a target for traffic calming

Wilbur's safety woes are nothing new. As far back as 1998 the Northridge Community Plan, part of the Los Angeles City General Plan, calls specifically for Wilbur avenue to receive traffic calming measures:

http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/pdf/nrdcptxt.pdf
(on page III=25) in section 13-1.3,under GOAL 13, Objective 13-1, Policies
last updated 1998, 

 13-1.3

Discourage non-residential traffic flow for streets designed to serve residential areas only by the use of traffic control measures. One problem area is Wilbur Avenue which is a street with excessive traffic speeds through a residential neighborhood. Another area is that surrounding CSUN, where residents have noted the intrusion of traffic and parked cars.

Program: The use of Residential Neighborhood Protection Plans and traffic calming techniques to relieve congestion on collector streets that are expected to experience traffic congestion by the year 2010. For Wilbur Avenue, techniques can include the narrowing of travel lanes, chokers or sidewalk bulges with landscaping at minor inter-sections, and increased enforcement of posted speed limits. Speeding problems along Wilbur Avenue should first be referred to the Police Department. If the problem is not solved through enforcement, the LADOT should initiate a traffic study to determine the extent of the problem and propose appropriate measures to remedy the situation

Note that out of ALL the streets in Northridge, Wilbur is specifically mentioned. Fast forward to 2009 when the LADOT posted notice that they intended to remove the crosswalks at Superior and Prairie. Upon seeing these signs the neighborhood rose up and produced more than 600 signatures stating that they wanted to keep those crosswalks. MANY people showed up that summer to speak at both the Northridge West and Northridge East Neighborhood Council meetings to proclaim very loudly and clearly that they wanted those crosswalks to stay and that the speed limit should come down on Wilbur. Paul Meshkin of the LADOT was present at those meetings along with other staff members, the names escape me. They saw the outrage to the crosswalk removals and the disgust at the proposal to install peak hour lanes on Reseda. Most telling sign of the chorus of disapproval present at that meeting? The former president of Northridge West, who had originally introduced a motion supporting peak hour lanes on Reseda, found himself voting against his own motion. People were passionate and I believe the LADOT went back to the drawing board and came back with the only logical answer to most of the problems plaguing Wilbur... a road diet. What other options did they have? Stop signs? More lights? Speed limit decreases?

What the LADOT did not do was engage the public on the last leg of this journey and that is why we have a rift amongst neighbors. Over time, this rift will heal and perhaps alternate solutions will be proposed.

Joint Panel rejects LADOT compromise.

On Tuesday March 15th, the Joint Porter Ranch and Northridge West Townhall / Vote on Wilbur ave. took place.

The meeting room was filled with an estimated 450 concerned people from Porter Ranch and Northridge. The process that got us here was set forth by Councilman Smith months ago and the agenda called for presentations to the public and to the joint board comprised of Porter Ranch and Northridge West neighborhood councils. The first presentation was made by the LADOT displaying the compromise plan borne out of the Wilbur Working Group Ad Hoc committee meetings. Next came a question and answer session by the joint board followed by presentation "for" and "against" the LADOT compromise plan. After that, public comment, and lastly a joint board ballot vote on whether to reject or accept the LADOT compromise. In this case, abstentions, it was explained several times through out the meeting, would be tantamount to a vote of no due to the complications of combining two separate boards as a single voting body. In order for the compromise plan to be adopted, a total of 10 yes votes were required.



The LADOT compromise plan was turned down
by a vote of 9 yes, 3 no and 7 abstentions. 
President Tom Johnson presents vote results 3/15/2011 by Safe Streets

Abstention = NO
Many on the panel were so frustrated with LADOT's "one option or nothing" approach that they abstained as a form of protest. Several times through out the meeting it was explained by the D.O.N.E. representative that for the purposes of this meeting, and abstention was equal to a vote of no.


For this vote I THANK Porter Ranch and Northridge west Neighborhood Councils. We all made a tough decision but indeed the correct one. The compromise plan, which I have maintained all along was rushed through, created a new and unnecessary danger, and did nothing to fix the "school drop off" problem that exists between 7:30am and 7:55am. Eventually everyone at that meeting realized it. I don't care to speculate on why this plan was rushed through but I can tell you that it definitely was rushed, to it's own peril.

Moving forward, it can be assumed that a brand new push in the effort to re-stripe Wilbur will emerge. My hope is that any committee formed to oversee such a process will include a healthy representation by the residents living on the street and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Each block has unique interests and there should be carefully considered block by block solutions implemented.

Do Porter Ranch residents and those living outside of the immediate neighborhood have a say? Of course they do. Should it be an "equal" say? In my humble opinion the voice of "Safety" should always have the most say over any configuration. Since this street is a secondary highway with residential characteristics, local resident's needs should be served primarily and through traffic needs should be served there after.


Presentation in opposition to the LADOT proposed plan:




Presentation in support of the LADOT proposed plan:







"What is the general purpose of a secondary highway."






Public Comments answered:
I couldn't get them all, but I posted comments that I felt best characterized the  opposition to the road diet. I decided to answer some of the many comments that were submitted the night of the meeting here on this blog.



For or Against, EVERYONE agrees that
speeding is a problem on Wilbur.
Of note is that most if not all of the people who opposed the road diet conceded that Wilbur has far too many incidents of speeding above the posted limit. It was also clear that many wish for the return of "4 lanes to Wilbur." The reality is that many in the community surrounding the road diet do not wish to give up the new center turn lane that runs the length of the 2 mile disputed stretch and this is where a compromise will have to take place.








"The crash stats are scare tactics. I don't believe them and even if true, so what it's normal."

The crash data and stats (click here for complete report) are indeed scary! They seem unreal but in fact they are a matter of public record. Though the stats are urprisingly DIFFICULT to obtain, but they are available for everyone to inspect online. The California state government maintains an antiquated website tool which connects to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) database for requesting reports. This system is administered by the CHP.

http://iswitrs.chp.ca.gov/Reports/jsp/userLogin.jsp    

The SWITRS website needs to be updated ASAP. The people should be able to easily obtain crash data and statistics about any street. It would be useful for making decisions for example when purchasing homes or locating safe routes to work or school for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists alike.

In addition to requesting the data through SWITRS I reached out to Dr. Alex Thompson, Mar Vista Neighborhood Councilman and president of BikesideLA, and Sgt. David Krumer of the LAPD. Both are members of the LAPD Bicycle task Force of which I have been involved as well. Both worked hard to get accurate statistics for this stretch of Wilbur using the SWITRS database.

Sgt. Krumer's method actually encompassed a broader range of accidents, those occurring up to 30ft from Wilbur at the major intersections and cross streets. The theory being that crashes up to 30 ft from the intersection, on for example Plummer, would still be related to Wilbur Ave since they occurred in such close proximity. That methodology produced more than 350 reported incidents, however as per advisement of Thompson, the radius was cut to zero on incidents reported on that 2 mile stretch of Wilbur in order to remove any doubt that the statistics were doctored to make a stronger case.





The Statistics
Between 1999 and 2008, there were 234 traffic collisions reported on Wilbur Ave between  Nordhoff St and Chatsworth, an average of 23 each year.  If these collisions were spaced  evenly, there would be one every 46 feet, as you walked from Chatsworth to Nordoff.  The  234 collisions resulted in 364 injuries, and 5 deaths. If you extend the study to include up to Rinaldi the death toll rises to 8 and the crashes increase by more than 150 reported incidents.

Keep in mind, we all know that the police are loathe to write up accident reports. They expect people to exchange info and settle things through civil means (insurance), they don't like to be bothered. The fact that these incidents found in the SWITRS database are reported means that they had to break a significant thresh hold of severity for the police to decide to take a report.





"What is an acceptable fatality rate?"

what is an acceptible fatality rate LAPD confirms less incidents by Safe Streets

Seriously. For those who don't care about the safety of the neighborhood they are speeding through... Well then... IS there a thresh hold death rate that would change their mind? If 1 person dies every year on Wilbur is that acceptable? Perhaps even 2 or 3 people could die per year and some people would still not care.... What is the acceptable death rate?

"Less incidents on Wilbur since the implementation of the road diet." -LAPD

One thing that is difficult for anti road diet people to dismiss is that the new contiguous center turn lane has addressed 77% of the crashes that occurred under the old configuration. The LAPD confirmed as such Tuesday night reporting "Incidents are down since the road diet was implemented."

Previously, sans-center turn lane, residents have complained of the pressure from speeding traffic approaching from behind to make a quick left from the southbound "fast lane" whilst gauging the often time variably speeding oncoming traffic. A particularly dangerous scenario is when cars approach at different speeds for example a car speeding north passing a slower car in the left lane. This speeding car approaching in the blind spot of the slower car from the south bound left turner's perspective has proven a huge hazard. The center turn lane can not exist under the old configuration and include 4 travel lanes plus parking even without the bike lanes. This is the reality.

"Speeding 13% C'mon man"
As you can hear in the video above, right after the opposition to the LADOT plan presentation, a person in the audience pointed out that speeding was listed as the cause of "only" 13% of the collisions on Wilbur. The thinking behind this comment seemed to be that if only 13% of the collisions are blamed on speeding it would seem that speeding wasn't a significant enough problem to bother addressing....


Answer: The speeding as a sole cause of a collision statistic is a bit misleading. Because speed is difficult to assess after the fact and especially when "hidden" behind other factors like running reds collisions and left turn collisions, speeding, as a sole cause of a collision is not so common. The SWITRS data will sometimes list a secondary factor in collisions, but because of the fact that secondary factors are not reported consistently the data was omitted.

The top two collision factors left turn into oncoming traffic and running reds combined with speeding to make 77% of the collisions. The road diet addresses a clear majority of the problems on Wilbur by providing a left turn lane for people to escape to instead of feeling the pressure of the fast lane rushing up from behind as a driver attempts to get into their driveway or side street. With the calmer flow of single lane car traffic a person can then judge far better when to make a left and is not faced with having to gauge two speeds of oncoming traffic often one car passing another.



"We NEED the center turn lane."
I agree! What people don't realize is that there are places south of Plummer where the road narrows and 4 lanes are not possible (regardless of whether there are bike lanes) without removing the center turn lane and / or parking lanes in front of people's homes. These are non negotiable in my mind. Obvious safety and quality of life issues.









"Are we going to reduce lanes and speeds on EVERY street to make them safer?"
Not every street. Just the ones that make sense. The character of the neighborhood that lines the street should definitely play a role in how fast the street should be. Obviously a commercial zone would be treated different than a walled off corridor or a neighborhood with homes that have driveway access. Wilbur is classified as a secondary highway by the LADOT. John Fisher GM of the LADOT explains that a secondary highway is made to serve local collector streets with local traffic and "some" through traffic. Wilbur is a wide street yet it has homes with frontages on it including several homes with driveways and no alley access - characteristics of a local access street mixed with the width of a through street. Again, the question can be answered by investigating the kinds of access that a street provides and providing safety above transit speed.




"Wilbur resident with 6 children
thanks Rita Robonson and the LADOT"







"Move!"
Many of those opposed to the traffic calming of Wilbur take the position that people knew what they were getting into when they bought the home and if they don't like it, they should move. This is a phenomenon that I will call NIYBYism. If NIMBYism is "Not in MY backyard" then NIYBYism stands for "Not in YOUR backyard." Basically, people don't want traffic speeding past their own house, but those who try to improve the conditions in front of their houses and in their neighborhood should simply move lest they slow your commute down. The problem with the move mentality is, if one person becomes disgruntled with the volume of traffic and leaves, the next person who settles in will eventually will become disgruntled as well. No one really wants to live in a high volume high speed neighborhood after all.



"Cyclists don't pay road tax why should they get 50% of the road?"
There are 7 lanes on Wilbur. 2 parking, 2 travel, 2 bikes lanes, and a center turn lane. Added up by square foot, bike lanes are 1/6th of the space on this 2 mile stretch of road. Many people believe that the gas tax and vehicle registration fees pay for the roads so therefore all of the space should go to cars the thinking goes. In fact this is not true. Local roads are paid for through the general fund which is chiefly sales tax and property tax. The gas tax and car registration fees pay for the state's highway and freeway system most of which do not allow pedestrian or cycling access. Since local roads are paid for by everyone, the full right of use by cyclists and pedestrians is guaranteed by law.

Not only are local roads subsidized by everyone, they are not paid for proportionately by the vehicles that destroy them most. Every vehicle on the road is a 4000lb pavement destroying machine, wearing and tearing at the asphalt that year after year is rebuilt at an enormous cost to society. By contrast cyclists and pedestrians cause little damage to the roads and infrastructure. Shouldn't we be encouraging people to choose to use alternate forms of transportation simply because it saves tons of road repair money? What if our policy was to tax the heaviest vehicles the most? You break it, you should pay for it right?





"Shame on you LADOT!"


"Did the LADOT engage the community?"

The short answer? A little less than yes, but yes. While it is true that the LADOT seemed to say nothing in advance about the road diet implementation, it is also true that the LADOT got an earful in the past couple years for attempting to remove crosswalks and implement peak hour lanes. While someone at a Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council called Rita Robinson an "idiot." A smaller local group of people applauded her as a hero.


Calls for a safer Wilbur date back to 1998

Northridge Community Plan specifically mentions Wilbur Ave. as a target for traffic calming

Wilbur's safety woes are nothing new. As far back as 1998 the Northridge Community Plan, part of the Los Angeles City General Plan, calls specifically for Wilbur avenue to receive traffic calming measures:

http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/pdf/nrdcptxt.pdf
(on page III=25) in section 13-1.3,under GOAL 13, Objective 13-1, Policies
last updated 1998, 

 13-1.3

Discourage non-residential traffic flow for streets designed to serve residential areas only by the use of traffic control measures. One problem area is Wilbur Avenue which is a street with excessive traffic speeds through a residential neighborhood. Another area is that surrounding CSUN, where residents have noted the intrusion of traffic and parked cars.

Program: The use of Residential Neighborhood Protection Plans and traffic calming techniques to relieve congestion on collector streets that are expected to experience traffic congestion by the year 2010. For Wilbur Avenue, techniques can include the narrowing of travel lanes, chokers or sidewalk bulges with landscaping at minor inter-sections, and increased enforcement of posted speed limits. Speeding problems along Wilbur Avenue should first be referred to the Police Department. If the problem is not solved through enforcement, the LADOT should initiate a traffic study to determine the extent of the problem and propose appropriate measures to remedy the situation

Note that out of ALL the streets in Northridge, Wilbur is specifically mentioned. Fast forward to 2009 when the LADOT posted notice that they intended to remove the crosswalks at Superior and Prairie. Upon seeing these signs the neighborhood rose up and produced more than 600 signatures stating that they wanted to keep those crosswalks. Many people from the community showed up that summer to speak at both the Northridge West and Northridge East Neighborhood Council meetings to proclaim they wanted those crosswalks to stay and that the speed limit should come down on Wilbur. Paul Meshkin of the LADOT was present at those meetings along with other staff members, the names escape me. They saw the outrage to the crosswalk removals and the disgust at the proposal to install peak hour lanes on Reseda. Everyone at those meetings making public comment spoke in unison. Most telling sign of the chorus of disapproval present at that meeting? The president of Northridge West, who had originally introduced a motion supporting peak hour lanes on Reseda, found himself voting against his own motion. People were passionate and I believe the LADOT went back to the drawing board and came back with the only logical answer to most of the problems plaguing Wilbur... a road diet. What other options did they have?

What the LADOT did not do was engage the public on the last leg of this journey and that is why we have a rift amongst neighbors. Over time, this rift will heal and perhaps alternate solutions will be proposed.





"The LADOT snuck in and striped in the middle of the night?!"

They sure did... and on a weekend too. Now call me crazy, but I think they do it on weekend nights because.... that is when they will cause the least amount of traffic when they block off the entire street to paint!  This "nasty" characterization of the process has got to be one of the most twisted truths of the whole affair. Raise your hand if you think the streets should be repaired and striped during rush hour. Raise your hand if you think the streets should be striped during business hours or at any time during the day.





Conclusion and some asks for the LADOT
The "old Wilbur" is gone forever. We cannot go back to that dangerous configuration. The 1998 plan called for a safer Wilbur, and the neighborhood called for it in 2009 when it demanded to keep it's crosswalks and 2010 via petitions in favor of the road diet. These pro-road diet petitions were delivered on 8/23/10 a week or so before the striping was laid in. a second round of petitions were gathered in October.

• Please continue to protect residential areas with traffic calming. 

• Please put in a crosswalk at Mayall / Wilbur regardless of the count. There are kids in that neighborhood who need to get to Nobel in the near future. Encourage them others to walk.

• Please continue to consider the people living on the street and in the neighborhood first and offer more alternatives to help our neighbors in the north travel through our neighborhood safely.

The Voices of Wilbur.

These are some interviews with pro-road diet people who live in the neighborhood. I gathered these while collecting petitions in support of the Wilbur road diet. Those most supported the new configuration, not everyone I met was for it. Some streets have issues with exiting. My hope is to work with the LADOT and our councilman to fix these issues while maintaining the calmer safer travel speeds that the new configuration has achieved. The first minute or so of this video shows the morning rush hour first in pictures and then with a time lapse camera I put in place during Paul Kirk and Patti Loyola's traffic count.

Wilbur Vote is Tuesday 15th 6pm - 8:30pm Nobel Middle School

This Tuesday March 15th at Nobel Middle School there will be a joint Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council and Northridge West Neighborhood Council meeting in which both Councils will hold a cumulative ballot vote on the fate of Wilbur Ave.

I urge everyone to attend, love the road diet or hate it, and when you do...

PLEASE JOIN THE COMMUNITY WALK TO THE VOTE!! 




Major Concerns:

Secretive Ballot style Vote....?
The agenda and procedure for the meeting have been made public. Of concern is that according to number 10 on the list below, the vote will be a "ballot vote" taken by the boards which will conceal the individual votes of the board members. Many feel that the board members should be beholden to the public since they are public representatives of the community and voiced concerns about this at the March 8th NC meeting.  PLEASE NOTE that not everyone on the board is comfortable with concealing their vote from the public.  

As a representative of the people of my district, I promise to make my vote public the second it is cast. Others on the board have pledged to make their votes public as well.


Cumulative Vote on Competing Interests?
I don't believe that combining the vote of both Neighborhood Councils is appropriate. Porter Ranch has a very different interest in the street than does Northridge west. For Porter Ranch, the conflict is about the speed at which one can cut through the neighborhood. These folks are not happy with the Road Diet because it slows them down in their travels to other areas.


Northridge West, the NC in which the entire road configuration is located, has a competing interest. These are the people that live on the street and in the local community. Not many people wish for a faster noisier street in front of their houses or near their schools. Not many people wish to compete with cut through traffic to get to their homes. Not surprisingly about 78% of the people living in the community support the calmer safer street. 98% of the residents who live in homes with frontages on Wilbur support the new road diet.

Because of these obvious competing interests and simply for the fact that each board has different bylaws and number of members, the votes should be tallied as separate boards. Yet, when we look at the make up of both boards, we find that the majority of the combined board lives in Porter Ranch. In fact technically Northridge West Neighborhood Council meets in Porter Ranch boundaries. This gives the impression of a distinct bias.

Dear Stakeholders:

Please join Northridge West and Porter Ranch Neighborhood Councils on Tuesday night March 15, 2011 at Nobel Middle School (9950 Tampa Avenue Northridge, CA 91324) between 6:30pm  to 8:30 pm for a joint town hall meeting to review and vote on the latest LADOT Wilbur Avenue Road Diet striping plan.

The meeting will be structured in the following manner:

1)  Pledge of Allegiance – by LAPD
2) Introductions  - CD12 (Five minutes)
3) Location: LAUSD - Nobel Middle School
4) Date: March 15, 2011
5) Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm

6) LADOT will present the new official revised Wilbur Avenue road diet plan to both the PRNC & NWNC councils (Twenty five minute allotment)

7) A brief Question and Answer will follow between LADOT and PRNC/NWNC councils (Given the limited time constraints each board member will be given the opportunity to ask one question. Only after each board member has asked their question will a board member be offered the opportunity to ask a second question)  (Thirty minute allotment)

8) One individual  in support and One individual in opposition of the revised LADOT Wilbur Avenue  road diet plan will be offered four (4) minutes to present a supportive and opposition prospective of the new striping plan (Eight minutes)

9) Public comment – any individual that wishes to speak will be required to submit a speaker card and will be given 1 or 2 minutes (Depended on number of speakers) to speak on the LADOT plan presented  – every effort will be made within the time limitations (6:30pm to 8:30pm)to ensure every individual has an opportunity to speak (Thirty seven  minute allotment)

10)  At 8:15pm a cumulative write in vote from the combined Northridge West and Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council boards will be taken (Board members names will not be divulged at the meeting  but will be on their voting cards for verification and recording purposes – Board members need not feel intimidated) (Five minute allotment)

11)  A For, Against, Abstain vote for the revised LADOT plan will be taken and tallied up of the combined Northridge West and Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council boards (Ten minute allotment)

12)  The tallied votes will then be presented to the combined Northridge West and Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council boards and forwarded onto Councilmen Grieg Smith

Please join us as we move forward with the Wilbur Avenue road diet striping plan. Thank you for your participation.

Tom Johnson

President

Northridge West Neighborhood Council

Community Walk! Join US!

Join us and walk to the 

WILBUR VOTE meeting!

Nobel  Jr. High

6pm-8:30pm Tuesday, March 15th

This is the FINAL vote on the fate of Wilbur and the fate of the neighborhood. Don't miss it!

We are asking for everyone to please consider the amount of folks from Porter Ranch who will be attending this meeting by automobile. Let's give them our parking spots and have a good ole' walk through our neighborhood. No one cares if you are FOR or AGAINST the proposed plan. We just want the neighborhood to have a VOICE in this process.

Why the short notice?? 

Despite the howls of disapproval by the both PRO and ANTI Road Diet members of the audience at the March 8th Northridge West Neighborhood council meeting, President Tom Johnson pushed through a motion to announce the meeting with just 6 days of time to get the word out. Many in the audience emphatically concurred that 2 weeks notice is desired but those pleas were ultimately denied by the president and the board. The board first voted 6-6 on the motion having doubts about giving less than a week's notice get the word out... but after more exchange with President Tom Johnson insisting on the short notice provision the motion was passed upon the second vote 7-5. As notified on March 9th indeed, THEY GAVE THE COMMUNITY 6 DAYS.

Let's celebrate this short notice with a walk through this beautiful neighborhood and the hope of preserving it no matter your opinion of the road diet. The community deserves a voice!

 
. JOIN THE COMMUNITY WALK! 
CHECK THIS MAP FOR ROUTE AND START POINTS


View WILBUR COMMUNITY WALK! JOIN US!! in a larger map