After three long years, residents of Windsor Village are celebrating their new stop sign, at the intersection of Lucerne Blvd. and 10th street. Thanks to the perseverance of resident Julie Stromberg, the new all-way stop sign has slowed down traffic, allowing residents to get in and out their driveways much more safely.
Stromberg told the Buzz that she started her campaign for a stop sign more than two years ago, after she witnessed the death of small pet crossing the street. Stromberg said the the traffic just got worse after the Metro construction began on Wilshire Blvd. nearby, and more cars started cutting through the neighborhood along Lucerne to get to Olympic Blvd. Stromberg said she was determined to find a way to slow down the traffic and to give herself and her neighbors back their quiet residential street. But candidly, she said, she wasn’t hopeful that she could do it.
“It’s easier to get a liver transplant [than a stop sign’,” complained Stromberg, “because the City of Los Angeles sets such a high criteria to get a stop sign in your neighborhood.”
But her persistence paid off. In early June, Stromberg got a letter from the Department of Transportation saying its traffic study found the average speed was nearly 40 mph in the 25 mph zone, which met their guideline for “excessive speed” and warranted a stop sign to slow down the traffic at the intersection.
Thrilled at the notice, but thinking it would take several months more for the installation, Stromberg was shocked last month to see workers installing the stop signs in the intersection. And she said the improvement was immediate.
“It’s like we live in a residential neighborhood again! Now we can get in and out of our driveways; the traffic has really slowed down, we all see the difference,” said Stromberg.
So three years and two city council members later, there’s now an all-way stop sign at Lucerne and 10th Street in Windsor Village. Drive safely!
