Monday, February 2, 2009

"ENOUGH!" Another death on Palisades Drive


There was another death this weekend on Palisades Drive in Pacific Palisades, the long mountain road off Sunset Boulevard near the PCH that leads up to the posh Palisades Highlands housing development where stars like Ray Liotta, John Mayer and Steve Guttenberg reside. According to the LA Times: "an 18-year-old Pacific Palisades resident died after he lost control of his car and spun into oncoming traffic.

Nicholas Rosser was driving on Palisades Drive near Sunset Boulevard on Saturday when he collided head-on with a pickup truck at 5:50 p.m., said Lt. Cheryl MacWillie of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. Rosser was pronounced dead at the scene."

This is apparently the third death on the road since 2007, and all three fatalities involved a student at Palisades High School (no alcohol or drugs were involved in any)-- including a recent incident in which a Palisades High School kid ran over a woman on his bicycle in the early morning hours.


Locals have been trying for years to get the LADOT to do something about the dangerous conditions on the the unlit, unsafe racetrack that's creepily lined with memorials to the victims of its twists and turns (Ray Liotta himself was arrested for DUI back in 2007 after he slammed his Escalade into a couple of parked cars on the road).

One parent has a Flickr page dedicated to lives lost on the deadly two-mile stretch ("People Die on Palisades Drive") and pointing out that "center dividers, sidewalks and bike lanes would go a long way to fix this problem."

And today a group including top Hollywood scribe Steve Zaillian is demanding action from local officials like Bill Rosendahl (the same ones who pat themselves on the back for spending our money on costly Tsunami Hazard Zone signs) and is holding a meeting tonight.

There's a meeting tonight. Here's the email notice we just received:

Dear Neighbors:


After the occurrence of another fatal accident on Palisades Drive (Saturday) we are requesting immediate action by the City of Los Angeles to implement safety measures on Palisades Drive and Sunset Blvd.

A meeting will be held at Rustic Canyon Park, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, 8:00 PM, Gallery Room. We want to discuss possible solutions to traffic issues on these high risk streets, and send a letter to City officials requesting immediate action. Those of you not able to attend, we know you are as concerned as we are, so please forward the attached letter to Councilman Rosendahl (BillRosendahl@aol.com) and Mayor Villaraigosa (mayor@lacity.org) with any changes you deem appropriate.

Please forward the attached letter to all of your contacts in the Palisades / Brentwood area.

Thank you for you concern.

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