Santa Monica Traffic, Parking Czar to Resign

Raymond E. Davis III, credited with leading Santa Monica out of the Dark Ages of traffic and parking control--and making enemies in the process--has announced his resignation as parking and traffic director.

Davis, 32, will leave his $55,000-a-year job in October for “professional and personal growth” and will become a traffic consultant.

During his eight years with the city, Davis has used road “humps” and median planter boxes to slow traffic. He also eliminated lanes that were too narrow, added painted left- and right-turn lanes, established the first preferential parking zones in residential areas and replaced parking meters that once required only a penny.

“When he came here, we were in the Dark Ages as far as traffic and parking was concerned,” said Stanley Scholl, director of general services and Davis’ immediate supervisor.

Big City Problems

Scholl described Santa Monica as “a small town with big city traffic and parking problems,” including few turn lanes, few synchronized traffic signals and too many four-lane roads that could safely accommodate only three lanes.

“Ray (Davis) was most innovative in devising ways to improve the situation and invariably came up with the decision and the solution, often overcoming tremendous opposition,” Scholl said. “But even when you do a good job, as he did, the criticism gets to you.”

Councilman Herbert Katz Jr., one of Davis’ harshest critics, said, “It is no secret that he and I disagreed publicly. But it is bunch of crap to suggest that I didn’t like him. We just disagreed, that’s all.”

Katz was unimpressed with the road bumps placed on Washington Avenue (“They don’t belong on city streets”), the planters and parking spaces in the middle of 4th Street south of Pico Boulevard (“I never agreed with that one”) and the reduction of lanes and addition of turn lanes on several major north-south streets (“The changes, in my opinion, have clogged traffic”).

Actions Met Goals

Davis defended his actions. “The (bumps) were designed to reduce speeding through residential neighborhoods and they did,” he said. The lane reductions on north-south streets have also achieved their goal, he said.

“Traffic flows more easily through the streets,” Davis said. “And we removed the potential for city liability when cars sideswiped each other because of narrow lanes. I am proud of the changes.”

Asked if he felt that a move to place his job under a different department was designed to force him to resign, Davis responded with a laugh, “There probably comes a time in any organization when people get tired of hearing traffic engineering according to Ray Davis. The fact is I was considering other career options before then.

“I was at the point where someone would call to complain and when I learned the address of the caller I knew what the problem was.

“I have enjoyed my work here and have appreciated the opportunity to try out a lot of new things to see if they worked. In Santa Monica, something is always happening, and I will miss the city.”

Praise From Manager

City Manager John Jalili praised Davis, saying that Davis understood that the city in recent years has not supported widening streets to increase traffic flow. “He was balanced in trying to deal with traffic and parking problems in the city,” Jalili said.

But Jalili had upset Davis by recently proposing to place his job under the city Engineering Department. “The change was under consideration only because it seemed a logical move to make,” Jalili said.

Davis said that he disagreed with the move because it would not make sense to put traffic and parking control in the Engineering Department. “In traffic and parking, you have to employ person-to-person skills that are not required in engineering,” he said.

Chuck Eccleston, Pasadena’s traffic and transportation director, said Davis is respected widely in the profession. Davis is a past president of the Southern California chapter of International Transportation Engineers.

“He’s a comer in our profession, what we call a ‘blue-chipper,’ ” Eccleston said. “He has been innovative in Santa Monica and has impressed all of us with his knowledge in the field.”

‘Tendency to Burn Out’

At the same time, Eccleston said, turnover among city traffic and parking engineers is common. “There is a tendency to burn out,” he said. “And you can make a lot more money as a consultant. In this business, you have to have a thick hide because the total public has very strong feelings about traffic.”

Russell Barnard, a Main Street businessman who admires Davis, said that it probably is best for him to step down. “He was very good on traffic and parking,” Barnard said. “But in this city, you must have the personality to accept review of your work and I don’t know if Ray was always comfortable with that position.

“I know he would get frustrated when he thought that he could not do his job professionally, as he saw it, without a lot of criticism. Everybody here (in Santa Monica) thinks they have a better idea. I think he went as far as he could go in the job.”