Cops to speeders: slow down
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers TAKE IT EASY- A Ford Mustang and a Ferrari race uphill toward the top of Stunt Road near Calabasas. Street racers on local mountain roads will find their activities curtailed if highway patrol and sheriff's officials have their way.

Highway patrol and sheriff's officials have a plan to reduce illegal racing by daredevil drivers who routinely break speed limits and endanger their lives and the lives of others.

The California Highway Patrol, the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky have introduced a comprehensive traffic safety program for the Santa Monica Mountains region called "Operation Safe Canyons."

The $180,000 program will increase traffic safety by beefing up patrols of the area.

Mulholland Highway and Piuma, Stunt and Cold Canyon roads are the most popular race areas.

"We've had a lot of community concerns about reckless driving and other quality of life issues, including loud exhaust, a lot of congestion and a lot of traffic," said CHP public information officer Leland Tang.

The racing, speeding and noise by cars and motorcycles prompted the agency to apply for a grant through the California Office of Traffic Safety, a division of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"The grant will allow us to put additional officers above and beyond what is normally deployed in the Santa Monica Mountains," Tang said. The officers will patrol about 500 square miles in the area, he said. On weekends, two to four more officers will step up enforcement.

Several accidents, including one involving a fatality, have occurred in the mountains over the past year, Tang said. About a year ago a speeding off-duty officer was killed when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a pole.

"It's not so much that the (Santa Monica Mountains) is a treacherous area as it is an area that draws a lot of people from all over the region and the state because of the scenic views," he said. "It's a destination point for a lot of people."

Increased traffic patrols have resulted in 600 citations and 15 DUI arrests since January, according to reports.

Tang said the CHP and Lost Hills Sheriff's Station don't want to discourage people from visiting the mountain area- they want them to drive with caution. Only a small percentage of people drive unsafely, he said.

"We want everyone to enjoy the beauty of the Santa Monica Mountains, but do it in a safe and legal manner," said CHP Capt. Steve Badilla, the agency's West Valley area commander.

"As part of our service to the motoring public, it is sometimes necessary to remind motorists through enforcement campaigns that everyone shares in the responsibility to use our roadways safely," Badilla said.

Personnel from the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station will participate in the program by focusing enforcement in the various incorporated cities that border the mountain region, Tang said.