Speed limits going up on Lindero, Lakeview Canyon roads
By Michael Picarella
Acorn Staff Writer

In a state-required speed limit survey, the Westlake Village public safety committee has discovered two roadways in Westlake Village that need higher speed limits.

The speed limit on the stretch of Lindero Canyon Road between Whim Drive and the Ventura County border (just south of Blackbird Avenue) will be changed from 45 to 50 mph.

Between Watergate Road and just south of Townsgate Road, the speed limit on Lakeview Canyon Road will increase from 35 to 40 mph.

Each city must conduct a speed limit survey every seven years. Westlake Village staff recently set up radar in an unmarked car, according to city traffic engineer Mark Wessel, and monitored average speeds on city streets. A majority of drivers obeyed speed limits on all streets except Lindero Canyon and Lakeview Canyon roads.

An unmarked car with radar was used, Wessel said, so that drivers weren’t be influenced regarding their speeds. If 85 percent or more motorists are exceeding the posted speed limit, then the speed of the majority of drivers is to be adopted as the new maximum. This was the case on Lindero and Lakeview.

"It’ll be several weeks," Wessel said, before new speed limits are posted.

"We have to order the signs … The city contracts with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works for a variety of services—one of which is our signing and markings and things like that. We’ll have to do the paperwork explaining to them what we want them to do and send it to them and it will go through their process. They’ll actually go out and post all the signs," he said.

City Councilman Mark Rutherford was unhappy with the action. It’s a safety issue, he said. Rutherford noted that there’s an elementary school on Lakeview. But if the new limits aren’t imposed (which was an option to the council), radar couldn’t be used as an enforcement tool, Wessel said.

If the speed limits weren’t changed and a cop cited someone for speeding based on a radar reading, the judge could and would throw that ticket out because the judge would have the current speed limit study results with him, which dictates the law.

The city council approved the changes so that radar could continue to be used on Lindero and Lakeview. But they instructed the public safety committee to discuss safety issues around the school site on Lakeview.