Since 2008, Pacific Palisades residents have complained about motorcycle groups speeding down Sunset Boulevard from the Riviera to Pacific Coast Highway, especially on Wednesdays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the summertime. On July 6, a resident reported that between 10:15 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., ‘several groups of motorcycles, with four to six motorcycles in each group, went back and forth past the intersection of Sunset and Marquez Avenue at high speeds multiple times.’ In July 2010, 21 residents sent a petition to the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Traffic Division, City Councilman Bill Rosendahl and the Pacific Palisades Community Council, asking that the police increase enforcement of the existing speed and noise limits at night, especially Wednesdays. They also asked that a program to reduce speed and control noise at night be developed and implemented. ’I am here to support the residents’ concerns regarding this issue,’ said Amy Kalp, a member of the Pacific Palisades Community Council’s police subcommittee. ‘I have met and will continue to meet with Councilman Rosendahl, LAPD and other city officials to find a solution to their concerns.’ Among the solutions being explored, Community Council chair Janet Turner told the Palisadian-Post that the Council has asked West Traffic Division Captain Brenda Crump to investigate installing more traffic sensors along Sunset, similar to the one at Will Rogers State Historic Park. If a vehicle is driving over the speed limit, the sensor triggers the stoplight to turn red. ’Speeding through the Palisades has been an issue for years; it’s not just the motorcycles,’ Turner said. ‘It would be a really good thing to slow down the traffic on Sunset.’ The police are aware of the motorcycle activity and continue to increase deployment to the area. ’I am extremely pleased at the dedication and concern that LAPD has shown to the community about this issue,’ Kalp said, noting that officers have patrolled after their shifts and on their nights off. LAPD Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore told the Palisadian-Post a year ago that it is difficult to catch motorcyclists breaking traffic laws. ‘They often send a scout ahead, so they behave whenever the police car is out there,’ he said. On June 29, an LAPD officer reported that he and three other motor officers patrolled Sunset from Capri Drive to PCH between 9 p.m. and midnight. They observed 30 to 40 riders, but did not see any violations. Kalp encourages residents to contact her with their complaints. Her contact information can be found on the Community Council’s Web site: www.pp90272.org.
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