Parents Pay for Signal Near Studio City School
Atraffic light went into operation outside Harvard-Westlake School on Coldwater Canyon Avenue in Studio City this week, paid for by parents to relieve congestion and safety problems.
The private school’s parent association raised $80,000 over the last year to pay for the light. That saved them the yearlong wait it takes for installation if the city must pay for it, said Julie Jaskol, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo, who represents the area.
School spokesman Steve Shaw said heavy afternoon traffic on Coldwater Canyon created congestion in the school’s parking lot as students and teachers tried to leave. “You could sit there for 10 minutes until someone was nice enough to stop and let a few people through,” Shaw said.
A nearby blind corner aggravated the problem, he said, causing many traffic accidents in recent years but no injuries.
The light will operate regularly during the afternoon, Shaw said. At other times, it will change to red on Coldwater Canyon only when a car is waiting to leave the school’s parking lot.
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