The Redondo Beach City Council approved traffic calming changes for two mid-city neighborhoods in Districts 2 and 3, hoping to address rush-hour cut-through traffic in both.
Residents along the 500-600 block of Paulina Avenue and the 700-800 block of Maria Avenue will see new measures, including a pair of no-left-turn signs timed from 2 to 4 p.m. from eastbound Diamond Street to Paulina, and a temporary traffic bulb-out to prevent cut-through traffic from Anita/190th Street to Maria Avenue.
Residents near the intersection of 190th Street and Inglewood Avenue will also see a series of changes, including radar feedback signs, temporary traffic circles, and speed-cushion strips to slow cut-through traffic looking to avoid the busy intersection.
Though the solutions were welcome, Councilman Todd Loewenstein took issue with the way they came — namely, that Maria/Paulina residents have been working toward this solution for more than a decade, while the Inglewood/190th issues were identified within the last two years.
Loewenstein was visibly and audibly angry, saying that he believed that Maria/Paulina residents were getting ”table scraps” compared to the Inglewood area. The cost for the temporary bulb-out, he noted, is about $10,000, while costs for the Inglewood solutions are over $112,000.
He believes that the two areas are being given unequal treatment. Councilman Christian Horvath represents both areas, though only a portion of the Maria/Paulina area, which is largely represented by Loewenstein.
“I’m saying that the timing is very interesting. I find it amazing how we’ve not attacked this problem in such a long period of time, but suddenly the [Inglewood] problem is solved so quickly,” Loewenstein said in an interview on Wednesday. “I don’t want to cast aspersions, but it gives me a lot of pause for concern.”
The Maria/Paulina neighborhood solutions were discussed at the council’s Oct. 16 meeting, when the council approved studying alternatives that included a cul-de-sac, striping, and left-turn prohibitions.
The temporary bulb-out solution on Maria Avenue, which will allow for northbound traffic to turn right onto Anita/190th, will be studied for six months after its installation, and considered for permanent installation.
