Other Voices
Los Altos is now operating a traffic enforcement unit. Many of us will be getting traffic citations this year for speeding on residential streets. The good news is that our streets will become safer for all users, including pedestrians, joggers, bikes and baby buggies. This will encourage a sense of community in our residential areas where neighbors can gather in their front yards and streets rather than be chased into their back yards by speeding automobiles.
Most of our streets are without sidewalks and street lights. While this rural appearance has its attraction, pedestrian safety is compromised. Automobile speeds must be low for a pedestrian to feel safe. Our population of children has also been increasing, and parents are especially sensitive to unsafe streets.
As of Monday, traffic stops were being made on many residential streets that were not frequently patrolled before. Most of the citations will be issued by a motorcycle officer, one of three traffic enforcement officers approved by the city council last October. This will be our first traffic enforcement unit. Every other city on the Peninsula with its own police force already has a traffic unit.
A Neighborhood Traffic Advisory Task Force formed by the City Council in January1998 recommended that we create this traffic unit along with a coordinated public education effort. Our goal is to change the driving habits of drivers in our city.
This ambitious goal requires a credible threat that speeders on residential streets will be caught. We also need the cooperation of drivers who are willing to change their habits.
Although a concern about traffic problems has been a high priority of the city council for the past two years, the Neighborhood Traffic Advisory Task Force can claim a lot of credit for the increase in traffic enforcement. The task force was formed as a response to the many concerned residents I met during the 1997 election campaign. These citizens were frustrated by their inability to reduce the number of drivers operating at hazardous speeds on their streets. Traffic speed measurements confirm these concerns. A random sample telephone poll taken by the task force also confirmed the broad perception of a traffic problem in our neighborhoods. About half of our residents want more traffic enforcement on their street. Although neighbors on the same block may disagree, the conclusion is that half of our residential streets have a problem with traffic.
Moving violations are a serious deterrent. For the first offense one must pay a fine and either spend time in traffic school or risk paying a higher insurance rate. A second violation has no traffic school option. Some continuing offenders will eventually lose their driving privileges.
We can avoid tickets by checking and correcting our driving habits. Almost all of our neighborhood streets have a maximum speed limit of 25 mph. The legal speed can be even lower, according to the California Vehicle Code, for certain driving conditions including the presence of children. If you find that you normally drive above 30 mph, consider one more New Year's Resolution: A goal, operate naturally around 25 mph. If traffic stacks up behind you, they have a problem, not you.
We hope our new traffic enforcement unit finds everyone driving in a relaxed manner.
King Lear, a longtime Los Altos resident, was elected to the Los Altos City Council in 1997. He serves on the Neighborhood Traffic Advisory Task Force.