City to Install Temporary Speed Humps Near Sepulveda Boulevard

Temporary speed humps will be installed on segments of Culver Park Drive and Segrell Way by the end of the summer, with the aim of easing congestion and speeding, the Culver City Council decided at its Monday meeting. 

City staffers will assess the effectiveness of the speed humps and return to the council with a report in about six months, said city traffic engineer Gabe Garcia.

If the city finds the speed humps work to enforce the speed limit, the fixtures may become permanent.   

Construction on Sepulveda Boulevard as part of the street's widening project prompted the plan to install the humps, though the idea has been batted around for 20 years. Ten speed humps will be installed on Culver Park Drive and Segrell Way between Sawtelle Boulevard and Slauson Avenue, each costing about $2,300.

Installation will be financed by the Sepulveda Boulevard Widening Project pool of local match funds.  

Years of frustration associated with the city's neighborhood traffice program lie beneath the plan, said Vice Mayor Scott Malsin. The program has worked for decades to engage locals in a dialogue on solving traffic concerns, but heated discussions often end in inaction, and the high level of approval required to make changes poses a barrier to progress, he said.

“It’s a process that reaches out the most and accomplishes the least,” Malsin said.

Speed humps fall into that category. Residents could never reach a full consensus on the matter, Garcia said. 

Opponents of the speed humps say more than enough signage is in place, and that the money needed to pay for the installation of the speed humps and another $3,500 for additional signage—totaling $26,500—would be better spent elsewhere. Decreased property values around the humps have also been a point of contention in the community, Garcia said.

Those in favor of them point to what they see as a hazardous environment for children as a result of drivers who use the streets to bypass rush-hour traffic, exceeding speed limits and ignoring traffic signals. The city has noted speeding problems in the area for a number of years, according to a city staff report.

Work on Sepulveda Boulevard has also disrupted nearby traffic flow, creating headache-inducing congestion, said Segrell Way resident Laura Stuart.

She said she has trouble getting out of her driveway because of traffic buildups, particularly at night.

Linda Forest, also a Segrell Way resident, said cut-through traffic crowds the street during Monday rush hours.

“That traffic is angry, and frustrated at the construction,” Forest said.

While construction on Sepulveda has been frustrating motorists for weeks, the humps designed to help overflow traffic on surrounding streets may not be in place until late September.

This development drew sounds of disapproval from audience members. “I want them in front of our house right away,” one person said.

As the city is analyzing how the speed humps will affect the surrounding homes, city staff is engaging in an ongoing dialogue with residents to solicit their feedback. Finding two facing properties who are willing to have each of the ten speed humps installed between them could be time-consuming, Garcia said.

David Potter told Patch he’s prepared to volunteer the space in front of his house on Segrell for a speed hump. And he’s already talked to his neighbor across the street about the matter. 

“This is one of the reasons there need to be speed humps,” Potter told the council, holding his young daughter up in his arms.

Although many residents called for a permanent install of the humps, other residents found the plan lacking. In addressing the council, Joseph Montoya criticized the staff report, saying it lacked analysis and discussion of environmental impact of installing the humps. The advisory surveys circulated among residents were biased, he also contended. 

Residents should have known they were buying homes in an area parallel to a regional highway before moving in, Montoya added. He warned that property values will decrease with the measure. 

He also said that placing a speed hump 60 feet in front of a stop sign “makes no sense.”

Public commenter Linda Kelley wrote that the issue should be revisited after the Sepulveda work finishes up. She also wrote that the cost associated with removal will likely be a deterrent to keeping the speed humps temporary.

Garcia told Patch that the removal of the speed humps would be “significantly less” expensive than their installation.

Be sure to like Culver City Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.