Studio City : Laurel Canyon Traffic Risk Spurs Meeting

The stretch of Laurel Canyon Boulevard that goes over the Santa Monica Mountains is well-known for its woodsy beauty and picturesque homes, but the street is gaining fame for a less rosy reason.

The number of traffic accidents on Laurel Canyon between Mulholland Drive and Canton Drive has escalated to the point that one area resident now calls the stretch “dead man’s curve.”

Three residents organized a neighborhood meeting last week with city officials to brainstorm about solutions to their problems, which include property damage from wayward cars and fears that their own front yards are unsafe.

Attending the meeting were about 30 residents and aides to City Council members Joel Wachs and Mike Feuer, as well as representatives of the Los Angeles Fire Department, the city Bureau of Engineering, the city Department of Transportation and the Studio City Residents Assn.

Debra Polanco, one of the meeting organizers, said two recent accidents spurred neighbors to action. On Oct. 7, a speeding driver smashed through the block wall of a house on Laurel Canyon near Dona Sarita Place, throwing concrete chunks into a pool. Polanco said four children were only moments away from entering the pool.

On Sept. 24, a woman was killed when a motorist driving northbound on Laurel Canyon lost control of his car and hit two pedestrians just north of Dona Pegita Drive.

According to Los Angeles Police Department statistics, eight people were killed in traffic accidents on Laurel Canyon between Mulholland and Canton between April, 1983, and April, 1993. Some of the residents’ recommendations included restriping the road, making part of Laurel Canyon a one-lane street and changing the bank of the street. Vicki Lee, a Wachs aide, said the two council offices will work together to make sure that city departments “try to find a solution.”