Parents Behaving Badly and why we need Curb Extensions

Elementary schools have started and a few parents in cars are behaving badly again.

Encino Elementary seems to have the worst of it this year, even worse than Lanai Elementary where it’s always bad. On Otsego Street each morning from 7:55AM-8:15AM, it is rule-free.

The upside is that parents, even the ones driving fast, act more responsibly – because they have to. When they see no parents or teachers or police – anyone – regulating traffic flow, they become more alert to the dangers. The downside is, if this keeps up, frustrations may grow and someone may get hurt. That was Lanai’s tragedy. It would also help if parents stopped parking in the drop-off zone. That side of the street should have a yellow zone to completely disallow parking. Maybe then parent volunteers wouldn’t be needed.

Rob Trulik, where are your officers?

The problem is bigger than this though. The problem begins when the majority of Encino students are dropped off from cars by their parents and hardly any kids walk to school. That’s what happens when the mass media terrifies the populace with abduction scare stories and the streets are built for cars and not pedestrians. There are ways to fix this.

Speed humps are effective and inexpensive but they are not the solution here. They are fine on Amestoy and Louise, but in Encino’s school zones, curb extensions would be better. These are landscaping features that jut into the street (as in the photo above) and they mean cars cannot speed and pedestrians have shorter distances to cross. They can be placed either at intersections or set back at mid-block. I have seen both work. They can be enhanced further by pedestrian crossings, traffic islands and median strips. Many cities across the U.S. are putting them in suburban areas although, as usual, Los Angeles is dead last. To read up on these options, this page is pretty good.

The resistance to such ideas is fierce. Anything that interferes with the inalienable right to speed along Genesta Avenue or Lanai Road or around Birmingham or Crespi is to be resisted, right? If we want our kids to get to school safely, how about it?

Photo: Richard Drdul, Wikipedia – shows curb extensions in British Columbia, Canada.