Speeding Concerns, Blind Driveways Put Via Del Monte Back Under Scrutiny

PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CA — More than a decade after residents raised concerns about speeding and poor visibility on Via Del Monte, another stretch of the winding residential road is coming under scrutiny over similar safety concerns.

The Palos Verdes Estates Traffic Safety Committee will hold a special meeting Thursday evening to consider complaints involving Via Del Monte near homes at 769, 773 and 777, where residents say speeding vehicles, a curve in the roadway and limited visibility have created dangerous conditions for people pulling out of driveways.

Resident Julie Kassouf, who lives at 773 Via Del Monte, submitted a traffic-calming application Aug. 27 asking the city to consider several possible changes, including convex safety mirrors, modifications to roadway striping and additional measures aimed at reducing vehicle speeds.

Kassouf told the city that visibility from her driveway is so limited that she rolls down her car windows and turns off the radio and air conditioning before pulling out so she can listen for approaching vehicles she cannot see.

"Even with those precautions, I have had several close calls with vehicles approaching uphill," Kassouf wrote in the application.

The problem has become serious enough that Kassouf said her family has consulted a Realtor about moving to a comparable home on a slower residential street, although they would prefer to remain in their home.

Residents Report Damaged Cars, Pedestrian Concerns

Kassouf also reported several incidents involving parked vehicles along the stretch during the past two years.

Side mirrors on vehicles belonging to her nanny and house cleaners have been broken by passing vehicles, she said, while cars parked outside a neighboring home at 769 Via Del Monte have also been hit. Kassouf said a vehicle parked outside 777 Via Del Monte was declared a total loss following a crash.

Those incidents were reported by residents in the application and have not yet been verified through a city review of collision data.

Pedestrian safety is another concern. The stretch of Via Del Monte identified in the application does not have sidewalks, requiring pedestrians to walk immediately alongside the roadway or, where vehicles are parked, in the road.

Kassouf said she stopped taking her son for walks along Via Del Monte in a stroller when he was a baby because she did not believe it was safe.

City staff said the combination of roadway geometry, traffic speeds and limited pedestrian facilities warrants further evaluation, although the application does not identify any documented pedestrian collisions.

City Could Conduct 7-Day Traffic Study

While residents contend that vehicles frequently exceed the posted speed limit, particularly while traveling uphill, the city has not yet collected the objective speed and traffic-volume data needed to determine the extent of the problem.

Staff recommends conducting that analysis before selecting a specific treatment.

Among the options before the committee Thursday is a seven-day speed and traffic-volume study, along with a review of collision history, driveway and stopping sight distances, parking patterns and pedestrian conditions.

Other possibilities include temporary or permanent radar-feedback signs, changes to roadway striping or lane widths, increased speed enforcement and convex mirrors opposite the three driveways. Kassouf has offered to pay for the mirrors and their installation herself.

City staff cautioned, however, that convex mirrors can create maintenance, liability and visibility-distortion issues and noted that many agencies restrict or prohibit their use in public rights-of-way. The concerns are not the first involving speeding and visibility on Via Del Monte.

In 2011, Patch reported that Via Del Monte was a particular focus of residents' traffic-calming concerns. Residents complained about speeding on neighborhood roads and poor visibility at Gatos Place and Via Del Monte, prompting the Traffic Safety Committee to unanimously recommend a stop sign at the intersection.

The circumstances were strikingly similar in one respect: a resident told Patch at the time that she turned off her air conditioning and radio and told her children to be quiet so she could listen for approaching vehicles because of poor visibility. Four years later, Via Del Monte was back before city officials.

In 2015, the Traffic Safety Committee considered a request for a convex driveway mirror at 812 Via Del Monte. The committee recommended trimming trees to maintain adequate sight distances, installing a warning sign alerting motorists to driveways ahead and temporarily repositioning two radar-feedback signs near the home to address speeding on Via Del Monte.

Thursday's special meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Palos Verdes Estates City Hall, 340 Palos Verdes Drive West.