EDITORIAL : GUARDING THE CROSSWALKS; CITY COUNCIL BUNGLED ITS JOB, ALLOWING BUREAUCRATS TO FOLLOW THEIR OWN POLICY.PEDESTRIANS beware. Think twice before crossing the street. The Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Transportation Department has decided crosswalks are too dangerous. That's not based on fact. It's just a hunch hunch n. 1. An intuitive feeling or a premonition: had a hunch that he would lose. 2. A hump. 3. A lump or chunk: "She . . . the city Transportation Department got into its head 20 years ago and hasn't let go of. Officials theorized that pedestrians are at greater risk in crosswalks at locations not controlled by signals or stop signs than they are when the crosswalk markings are removed. Are people's lives in danger? Is their safety in jeopardy? Who knows? Transportation officials haven't studied the 101 pedestrian deaths and 465 injuries in Los Angeles last year or the pedestrian deaths and injuries in any other year to draw conclusions. Absent clear and convincing proof A standard applied by a jury or by a judge in a nonjury trial to measure the probability of the truthfulness of particular facts alleged during a civil lawsuit. Clear and convincing proof means that the evidence presented by a party during the trial is more highly probable and in the face of council inattention in·at·ten·tion n. Lack of attention, notice, or regard. Noun 1. inattention - lack of attention basic cognitive process - cognitive processes involved in obtaining and storing knowledge and inaction in·ac·tion n. Lack or absence of action. inaction Noun lack of action; inertia Noun 1. , the bureaucrats proceeded anyway. They stopped repainting nearly all those crosswalks, eliminating up to 200 of them a year for some 20 years. The City Council found out about it a decade ago and there was clear sentiment to put it on the shelf pending further review. But the bumbling bum·ble 1 v. bum·bled, bum·bling, bum·bles v.intr. 1. To speak in a faltering manner. 2. To move, act, or proceed clumsily. See Synonyms at blunder. v.tr. council let the motion sit in its Transportation Committee for the next 10 years. And the delighted bureaucrats went about their merry way ignoring the questions raised about its policy. Now, after Council President John Ferraro John Ferraro (May 14 1924—April 17 2001) served as a Los Angeles City Councilman from 1966 until his death. Early life Ferraro was born in the working class suburb of Cudahy, California, just south of Los Angeles. reshuffled committee assignments, the crosswalks are finally being reviewed. On Friday, new committee chairman Councilman Richard Alarcon called on the department to formally review its practice of not repainting 80 percent of crosswalks at the uncontrolled locations after the streets are repaved. Perhaps, after a thorough review, the Transportation Department will have facts to support its theories. And perhaps the council will find time to evaluate the department's recommendation and make a decision. Until that time, Angelenos be forewarned. The city's a dangerous place to step foot in - and your local government isn't very effective about protecting your interests. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion