Councilman says Calabasas will wage war on bad drivers





By Michael Picarella
Acorn Staff Writer

Watch out for more law enforcement on the streets of Calabasas. The city is cracking down on reckless driving and traffic violations, according to Calabasas City Councilman Barry Groveman.


Reports show that traffic has gotten worse since the city incorporated in 1991. The Calabasas Traffic and Transportation Department has made some interesting discoveries. In the 12 years that Calabasas has been a city: vehicle trips have significantly increased, vehicle registration numbers have tripled, reckless driving and traffic accidents have shot up, and tickets for speeding and dangerous driving have increased.


Traffic enforcement must also be increased, Groveman said.


"We want to be able to target various streets all across the city," Groveman said. "There are streets on the west side of Calabasas in the Saratoga community, for example, just as there are streets in Mulwood and other areas where motorists are taking advantage of the streets. They’re flying at dangerously high speeds in SUVs, they’re not stopping at stop signs, they’re putting children and pedestrians at risk, they’re crossing double yellow lines to pass in the right-hand lane, and the best way to deal with that with a population of almost 25,000 is to have strategic plans where you identify and you count violators, and you literally set the (deputies) up in those places."


Groveman said the police presence might include decoy cars, traffic cops at troubled intersections and law enforcement officers doing sweeps. The goal is a strong presence of uniformed officers on the streets, he said.


Nothing slows down motorists better than officers in squad cars, Groveman said. Neither signage nor street painting works as well, he said Deterrents like speed humps or traffic circles aren’t as effective. Nothing, according to Groveman, works better than police officers on the streets to combat speeding and reckless driving.


In October, the city council voted to add three deputies and a plan to reduce traffic congestion and bad driving. The new officers will crack down, Groveman said, on reckless driving. They’ll also monitor traffic congestion and parking problems throughout Calabasas, he said.


The three deputies (coming in April or May) will consist of a community service assistant, a motorcycle officer and a team leader—or strategist/traffic investigator, according to Groveman. The latter will work to design or refine strategies that address congestion and reckless driving


"I envision the traffic investigator working very closely with the city to determine what specific problems they have and to target enforcement to those areas and times of day," said Capt. Tom Martin, commander of Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.


Groveman said that while the new officers aren’t yet on the streets, the city and the sheriff’s department have already begun creating a strong traffic enforcement presence with existing resources.


"We’re paying overtime," Groveman said. "We began this when the new middle school opened. Since the new middle school opened, the sheriff has issued approximately 60 citations. That represents about 15 business days." A.C. Stelle Middle School opened after winter break.


The tickets were mostly for speeding, illegal turns and failure to yield the right-of-way, according to Groveman. If residents haven’t noticed more patrol officers on the streets of Calabasas, they soon will, he said.


"I think the public should be aware that they’re going to see a lot more of this and it’s going to grow in success as we get our new resources in place," Groveman said. Highly visible police officers will help make the streets safer and reduce reckless driving, he said.


The problem had gotten out of hand, he said.



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