A Los Angeles city councilwoman said Tuesday, Aug. 3, that she wanted to rein in illegal street racing using speed bumps, rumble strips and other tweaks aimed at slowing down how fast a vehicle can drive down a road.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez said in a motion that the traditional method of addressing the ongoing issue of illegal street racing has been “the primary method to curtail this dangerous activity,” but it can be difficult to halt due to the numerous locations racing occurs and the city’s limited ability to increase penalties.
She is instead proposing that the city take a “proactive approach” by using its ability to redesign streets so that they can interrupt street racing activities such as takeovers and speed events.
Illegal street racing is usually confined to a short section of a wide, straight road with low traffic volumes and “easy access to freeways and major arterials that allow participants to quickly disperse,” the motion observed. “These characteristics render traffic engineering techniques, particularly traffic calming measures, an effective and cost-efficient means of deterring illegal racing, since they can be targeted to specific locations.”
Traffic calming measures may include speed bumps, rumble strips, raised center medians, curb extensions and traffic circles, th e motion said.
Rodriguez’s motion, which was seconded by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, calls for the transportation and the street services departments, along with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Street Racing Task Force, to recommend a variety of traffic-calming measures, including temporary ones that can be quickly installed and removed.
The motion also asks that the various departments to…
–Provide quarterly updates and data on street racing to each council district; and
–Identify “key racing intersections” and recommended street changes and programs first for Rodriguez’s 7th council district in the San Fernando Valley — and then eventually citywide.
Rodriguez also introduced a resolution that calls for supporting state bill AB 3, which would raise penalties for people “engaging in a motor vehicle exhibition of speed while participating in a sideshow.”