Robinson Street to Be 2-Way Again

The Redondo Beach City Council voted Tuesday to reopen the 1900 block of Robinson Street to two-way traffic after more than a dozen residents complained about traffic and safety problems caused by the one-way designation.

The block was closed to eastbound traffic in March, 1989, City Engineer Ken Montgomery said, because the steep grade of a hill there did not provide a safe “sight distance” for eastbound cars.

“We’ve had a lot of accidents up there with people blowing over the hill and running the stop sign,” Montgomery said.

Residents said the one-way designation had forced them to use congested Aviation Boulevard to reach their easterly destinations. Traffic on neighboring streets had also increased, residents said.

“It takes me 10 minutes to get my kids to Lincoln School because of the detour,” said Niru Kadakia, who lives on Robinson Street. The trip took her only three minutes before the closure.

City staff said lowering the grade of the hill would have cost the city $250,000.

The council voted against the grading project but voted unanimously to reopen the street to two-way traffic.

“It’s a lot safer for the neighborhood this way,” said Doris Schwerdtfeger, a 30-year Robinson Street resident who led the campaign to reopen the street. “Firetrucks and police even went down the street the wrong way, so it was a mistake from the beginning.”

The council also ordered that parking be eliminated on the north side of the street, that speed dips and flashing yellow lights be installed before the steep hill, and that double yellow lines be painted along the street median.