Highlands resident Nicholas Rosser, who was killed last Saturday evening on Palisades Drive, is the third teenager killed in an automobile accident on local roads in the past two years. The others were 17-year-old Dillon Henry in July 2007 on Sunset, and 18-year-old Travis DeZarn in November 2007 on Palisades Drive. Community outrage over the senseless deaths was channeled into a public meeting on Monday night at Rustic Canyon Park. Although the meeting could only be publicized through e-mail and word of mouth, more than 100 people attended. Steve Henry, Dillon’s father, led the meeting, which included parents, youth, members of the Pacific Palisades Community Council and representatives from Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s office, the L.A. Department of Transportation and LAPD. On behalf of Rosendahl, field deputy Jessyca Avalos offered condolences to the Rosser family. ‘We’re here because it’s another tragedy,’ Henry said. ‘It’s time that we as a community say ‘No More!’ We want something to be done now.’ ‘My son died 15 months ago tomorrow on Palisades Drive,’ Tim DeZarn said. ‘The answer from the city was to put up reflectors [on the roadway].’ Henry urged those in attendance to sign a letter to Councilman Rosendahl and Mayor Villaraigosa requesting immediate action implementing traffic safety measures on Palisades Drive and Sunset Boulevard (near Evans Road). He then opened up the meeting to possible suggestions. ‘Have a neighborhood watch,’ one mother suggested. ‘I would be willing to write down [a speeder’s] license plate and send out a letter.’ Someone suggested that additional signage be placed on Palisades Drive, especially a warning of the S-curves, where many accidents have occurred. Many wondered why photo-enforced speeding tickets couldn’t be issued, and were told that they were legal in some states, but not in California. Others wanted to know why a photo-enforced traffic light couldn’t be put in the middle of the canyon. Other suggestions included putting up streetlights in the canyon and a concrete barrier that would divide the two lanes. ‘My brother lives on Palisades Drive, so I know how easy it is to pick up speed,’ said DOT engineering associate Hamed Sandoghdar. ‘The road could be redone so that there are two lanes going north [uphill] and one lane going south.’ Teens in the audience were clear about the one single change with the most impact: enforcement. ‘I’ve raced in that canyon for four years,’ one youth said, referring to Palisades Drive. ‘But I stopped on January 31.’ He then suggested that police enforce the road’s speed limit (45 mph) at different times and in different locations in the canyon. He recounted that after Rosser’s death, ‘many kids talked about how lucky they were because they had done the same thing.’ Adults in the room made it clear that speeding isn’t limited to adolescents, recounting the accident last February when a BMW driven by an adult went off the side of the road. ‘It’s not the street, it’s the drivers going 80 miles per hour,’ one man said. ‘I’m disturbed by people not taking responsibility for breaking the law,’ West L.A. LAPD Captain James West said. He explained that he had limited resources to police streets and expressed frustration that when police officers are targeting the road, oncoming drivers often warn other motorists by blinking their lights. During the meeting he e-mailed Captain Nancy Lauer, who is in charge of enforcement, and asked for increased enforcement, as well as a speed trailer for Palisades Drive. ‘Be aware that enforcement includes everything,’ West said. ‘We’re not only going to look at speeding, but if you don’t have a front license plate, we’ll pull you over for that as well.’ Former Palisades Senior Lead Officer Chris Ragsdale summarized the three options: engineering, education and enforcement. ‘Every six months there’s a fatality on either Palisades Drive, Sunset Boulevard or PCH,’ Ragsdale noted. YMCA Executive Director Carol Pfannkuche offered to facilitate education efforts for traffic safety. She can be reached at CarolPfannkuche@ymcala.org. A second meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, at 8 p.m. in Rustic Canyon Park, 601 Latimer Road. The agenda will include immediate safety measures and long-term plans for Palisades Drive and Sunset. Rosendahl and members of DOT will be present. Rosendahl has asked residents who have new safety or traffic ideas to call his office (310) 575-8461.
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