In the community of West Hollywood, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, a dramatic increase in fatalities involving car-pedestrian accidents has citizens and city officials in disagreement about the causes and the remedies. In the last three years, there have been 84 reported accidents where a motor vehicle operator struck a pedestrian, with four fatalities. In each of the fatal accidents, the pedestrian was legally in a crosswalk at the time, and the motorist was cited for violating traffic laws.
The rise in injuries has led to public meetings, with parties coming down on both sides of a particularly thorny issue—the rate of speed allowed on many of the streets in West Hollywood (tied in part to the number of stop signs and stoplights).
A number of local residents believe that speed limits are too high on streets such as Santa Monica Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in West Hollywood. They contend that the majority of accidents occur because motorists are unable to stop in time to avoid a collision.
An equally vocal number of residents, however, argue that the number of stop signs and stoplights on many of the streets bogs traffic down and leads to angry and frustrated drivers, drivers who take out their aggressions in a form of road rage, by attempting to cut corners or by racing down side streets to save time. They have called for city officials to remove some of the lights and stop signs, so that the flow of traffic will be increased and drivers will be less inclined to take matters into their own hands.
City officials are considering both options, but are also looking at potentially closing some lanes during certain times, or even hiring crossing guards for key intersections.
Contact the New Brunswick Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr
At the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr, we have fought for the rights of personal injury victims in central New Jersey for more than four decades; including pedestrian injury victims. We carefully choose the cases we handle, so that we can provide the highest levels of service and personal attention to each client. We are also happy to take over your case, if your first lawyer does not seem to have your best interests in mind.
To set us a free initial consultation, send us an e-mail or call our office at 732-537-8570.
