Palos Verdes Council Decides Against Removing Traffic Roundabouts

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA -- After much debate and discussion, the Rancho Palos Verdes Council has decided to not remove any traffic roundabouts on Avenida Classica. At least for now.

During its March 3 meeting, the Council directed city staff to leave the circles in place, but to come back with alternatives to the traffic circles, such as implementing speed bumps. The recommendations would be presented during a future City Council meeting.

The pilot program that added traffic circles to Avenida Classica was launched in October 2024. The roundabouts were added due to ongoing problems with speeding, pedestrian safety, and other issues.

City data shows that they have worked. A study six months post-installation found that speeds were reduced on Avenida Classica by 7 to 9 miles per hour on average due to the circles.

However, some area residents living near the circles claim that there are numerous safety risks caused by the roundabouts, increased collision possibility, higher crash probability, visibility issues, pedestrian and cyclist safety, and emergency vehicle obstructions.

During the Council meeting, some residents spoke about their concerns regarding the speeding mitigation measures.

"These circles are not safe, and our voices have not been heard," resident Brad Spelberg, who was one of 11 people to address the issue, said. "Every morning I leave for work and I wonder if today's the day I'm gonna get clipped (by an oncoming vehicle). We have no visibility."

"We have scientific data that shows speeds have come down, but maybe they haven't come down enough," Councilmember George Lewis countered. "Reducing something that has reduced speeds seems silly to me."

"We should continue with these modifications, enhance these traffic circles, make them harder to get around, but also look at incrementally adding speed bumps," Lewis added.

In the end, the Council voted unanimously to continue the pilot project until staff come back with a list of options regarding how to modify the pilot program to better serve both residents and motorists passing through the area.