LaBonge Traffic Meeting Short on Solutions, Long on Complaints
THE EASTSIDER - Silver Lake residents gathered Monday to discuss possible solutions to make Rowena Avenue and nearby streets safer in the wake of a fatal traffic accident and a maze of construction detours. But the nearly 2-1/2 hour-long, rambling meeting hosted by Councilman Tom LaBonge left those who were expecting some relatively quick fixes disappointed.
THE EASTSIDER - Silver Lake residents gathered Monday to discuss possible solutions to make Rowena Avenue and nearby streets safer in the wake of a fatal traffic accident and a maze of construction detours. But the nearly 2-1/2 hour-long, rambling meeting hosted by Councilman Tom LaBonge left those who were expecting some relatively quick fixes disappointed.
In fact, the meeting at Ivanhoe Elementary School was short on short-term solutions and long on complaints and stories of speeding cars, near-misses, jay walking, illegal u-turns and confusing construction detour sign. One man said he even saw a DWP truck recently collide with a van as work crews placed orange traffic safety cones along Rowena.
“We need it now,” said one exasperated woman of a solution to reduce traffic speed and increase safety. “There are people getting killed.”
The litany of traffic problems described during the Monday night’s meeting stem from long-term issues – speeding traffic and jay walking – and several recent public as well private construction projects, most notably the installation of new water pipelines that have torn up neighborhood streets and prompted months-long road closures and detours. (Click here for the rest of this Eastsider column)
-cw
