NORTH LOS ANGELES — Speeding motorists have crashed into Fritz Friedman’s home two times in the past six months.
No one was in front of his home during the crashes, but he wants something to be done to cut down on speeding.
“I know there is no immediate solution,” he said.
Assemblyman Paul Krekorian on Thursday made a public push for his Safe Streets Bill in a bid to solve the very speeding problem that Friedman — who joined the assemblyman at the event — has been confronted with twice already.
Krekorian told residents that his Assembly Bill 766 would help local government agencies prevent increases to the speed limit.
Increasing speed limits on city streets, Krekorian said, has led to unsafe conditions and tragic accidents, such as the death of Elizabeth Sandoval, who was struck and killed by a Mercedes-Benz while crossing Glendale Avenue in 2007.
“It’s an endless cycle of mayhem in our streets,” Krekorian said.
The bill would allow city governments to hold public hearings on speed limits, during which officials would have to demonstrate how a higher speed limit would improve traffic flow and safety.
Traffic and engineering studies are conducted on city streets and often show that motorists continue to drive faster than posted speed limits.
If local authorities want to use radar enforcement, current law requires them to conduct an engineering and traffic survey every seven years.
In order to increase the speed limit, the surveys must find that motorists are, on average, already traveling above the posted limit.
The Glendale, Burbank and Los Angeles police departments, the cities of Los Angeles and Oakland, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and grass-roots organizations have all backed the legislation, except for the California Highway Patrol and the Teamsters.
The bill would allow officers to continue using radar to enforce speeding, which Glendale Police Lt. Carl Povilaitis said is effective in catching speeders.
Last year, there were four pedestrian-related fatalities and 82 pedestrian-related accidents in Glendale.
Los Angeles City Council members Wendy Greuel and Richard Alarcón also expressed a need for Krekorian’s bill during the news conference.
“We have had enough,” Greuel said.
“We have been talking about this issue for years.”
Speeding, Alarcón said, is a problem in the San Fernando Valley because the roads are wide and long.
The current law, he said, doesn’t account for pedestrian safety.
“We neglect the needs of pedestrians,” Alarcón said. “We neglect the needs of bicyclists.”
Alarcón’s son was killed by a motorist driving 97 mph on Victory Boulevard.
Krekorian’s legislation heads to the state Assembly’s Transportation Committee on Monday. Povilaitis and other supporters are expected to testify on behalf of the bill.
