LA City Council OKs Plan To Deter Street Racing

The Los Angeles City Council passed a motion today aimed at curbing illegal street racing by adding deterrents at common locations of races. The motion was introduced by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who noted that street racing typically happens in areas with wide, straight roads that have low levels of traffic and easy access to freeways and major roadways that allow participants to quickly disperse.Traffic calming measures — such as street humps, rumble strips, raised center medians, curb extensions and traffic circles — could be engineered in these areas to deter racing, Rodriguez’s office said.  The motion, which was seconded by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, instructed the Department of Transportation, the Bureau of Street Services, the Los Angeles Police Department Street Racing Task Force, the Bureau of Engineering and the Los Angeles Fire Department to collaborate on a report with recommendations for such measures that could be implemented in areas with frequent illegal street racing. Recommendations would include temporary devices that could be installed and removed from the areas, and the report would feature a map overlaying known racing corridors and intersections with traffic data from Vision Zero, Los Angeles’ mission to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.  “Enforcement cannot be the only solution,” Rodriguez said after introducing the motion on Aug. 3. “We need to also include a proactive approach using street design elements that make it difficult for drivers to conduct the type of street takeovers and speed events that are endangering our communities.” The motion also instructed LADOT and the LAPD’s Racing Task Force to meet each quarter and report to council member’s offices on street racing detain their respective districts.