Q. This may be outside your realm of expertise, but I’m hoping you have a suggestion. Cars speed on our residential street with no regard to residents (or pets). We have neighbors with young children and pets. Who do I contact to see about putting in speed bumps? The City Council?
– Mrs. Antonella Bennett, Pasadena
A. You came to the right place, Mrs. Bennett, Honk is all knowing – or at least he knows who to call for the goods.
Nader Asmar, Pasadena’s principal traffic engineer, told Honk residents can go to the city’s online City Service Center and put in requests. Just Google it. Even if the form isn’t filled out exactly right, he said it will end up with the proper official.
“We will … contact them and go through the process with them,” Asmar said. “The city does have humps, and there are many around town.”
Pasadena, as you can see, calls them “humps,” not “bumps,” and now deploys a version called “speed cushions.”
To get them installed, there are some regulations in the city’s policy. In general, the street must experience 1,000 to 4,000 vehicles a day, at least 15% of them have to significantly speed (33 mph or more on a 25-mph street), and a petition must be circulated with 67% or more of the block residents giving the project a thumbs-up. There are some other considerations, too.
The City Council approved the policy so city staffers can make the call.
Now for the fun, nerdy stuff:
Speed cushions look like rectangular pads. On asphalt streets in Pasadena, asphalt itself is used to make them. On concrete streets, rubber ones are bolted on.
They are wide enough so at least one side of a car must go over them. But they are skinny enough so a fire truck can straddle them and not lose speed on the way to an emergency.
For those outside of Pasadena who want speed humps, bumps or cushions, call your city hall and ask to be transferred to the department in charge of them.
Q. Honk: Who paints the address number on the curb? We keep getting pamphlets asking for $20 to repaint a fading street-address number for our home. Is this a city-sponsored program?
– Mauricio B. Edberg, West Hills
A. Honk would bet his editor’s paycheck it is a person or two just trying to make a few bucks or toiling for a charity.
In fact, he was out walking his dog this week and saw two young people sitting in the street, next to the curb, painting away. He admired how they had an orange pylon next to them so drivers saw them.
Years ago, a co-worker of Honk supplemented his income by painting the address numbers.
In your city, Los Angeles, to do such work legally takes a specific permit that requires, among other things, a $100,000 insurance policy. The annual permit costs $211.
The painter must give the homeowner sufficient advance notice of the work, so he or she can object if desired. If you don’t ask for the work, you don’t have to pay, and the city does not determine the cost. The painter must be able to show residents the permit.
L.A. does regulate how the painting is done.
Other cities and unincorporated areas likely have similar laws. For info, once again, call your city hall or the appropriate local government.
HONKIN’ FACT: The 405 Express Lanes are averaging 1.2 million trips a month since they opened on Dec. 1. Eric Carpenter, a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority, said that figure allowed revenue projections to be met to continue paying off the cost of the lanes’ construction. March pulled in the most cash for a month so far: $2.5 million.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk
Source: Orange County Register
Be First to Comment