To address the escalating issue of street takeovers, the Los Angeles City Council has voted 12 to 1 to launch a pilot program aimed at curbing the illicit activity at key intersections across the city.
The program, which focuses on 20 intersections known for hosting street takeovers, involves the installation of raised, hardened center lines to deter motorists from engaging in dangerous stunts such as “doughnuts.”
The selected intersections include prominent locations such as Grand Avenue and Fourth Street in downtown Los Angeles, as well as Glenoaks Boulevard and Polk Street in Sylmar.
The decision to implement these measures comes in the wake of numerous incidents of violence and deadly crashes associated with street takeovers, including a tragic shooting that claimed the life of a 23-year-old bystander near the intersection of 54th Street and Manhattan Place in South Los Angeles.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, representing neighborhoods on the city’s Eastside, was the sole dissenting vote against the pilot program.
Hernandez expressed her concerns at the council meeting: “I want to see us investing in proactive safe street infrastructure that improves safety for our communities and reduces instances of street violence, not just investing in models that respond after harm occurs.”
The pilot program, which is estimated to cost $80,000, will involve collaboration between the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
According to the council, engineering and enforcement measures will be employed to address the issue, with LADOT overseeing the installation of the center lines at the targeted intersections, and the LAPD focusing on enforcement efforts, including the potential use of cameras for monitoring and surveillance.
In 2022, Los Angeles took similar measures to deter street takeovers by installing speed bumps at a hot spot in the city. The current program aims to expand this strategy to around 50 different intersections.
Laura Rubio-Cornejo, General Manager of LADOT, said it was important to find effective solutions to combat street takeovers.
“We’re committed to exploring various traffic measures to address this issue and enhance public safety,” Rubio-Cornejo stated.
The program will also involve ongoing analysis and evaluation to assess its effectiveness. LAPD will conduct followup reports, identifying additional locations throughout the city that experience persistent issues with street racing and takeovers. Furthermore, LADOT will explore possible funding for the implementation of camera systems at these locations.
The initiative aligns with efforts undertaken by other California cities facing similar challenges, including Compton, Paramount and Oakland. Nationwide, cities like Portland, Georgia, St. Louis and Detroit have either implemented or are considering similar strategies to address street racing and intersection takeovers.
