Speeder Not So Fast to Get to Court

Dear Traffic Talk:

I recently got a speeding ticket, and my court date has come and gone.

Is it too late for me to pay the ticket without any extra fines? Do I still qualify for traffic school? I don’t want the ticket to appear on my driving record.

Any help would be appreciated.

Tony Martinez

Burbank

Dear Tony:

Unfortunately, your ticket has turned into an arrest warrant, but there’s still some hope, said Officer Bill Preciado, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

You can still set a court date with the court that issued the ticket and tell the judge why you didn’t pay your ticket on time, Preciado said.

Don’t give a lame excuse, or the judge might not be lenient with you, he said.

The judge has the option of letting you pay the initial fine without the penalty enhancement. Although you have already given up your right to attend traffic school, the judge may show some mercy and let you attend anyway, Preciado said.

However, if you have other traffic warrants against you, don’t expect the judge to be so friendly, Preciado warned.

Dear Traffic Talk:

I am a student driver and have been logging many hours and miles behind the wheel of both my parents’ cars since getting my learner’s permit in June.

In driving in and around my own neighborhood, I have had to adjust to the recent addition of a series of speed bumps on Topeka Drive south of Ventura Boulevard to Wells Drive.

These are of the “massive” variety that you would find in private, gated communities, certainly not on public streets.

Can you tell me why Topeka qualifies for such stringent safety measures, and is this going to become a trend?

Margot R. Wallace

Tarzana

Dear Margot:

More than 75% of the residents living along a half-mile stretch of Topeka Drive signed a petition requesting the speed humps, said Dave Roseman, an engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Many speeding drivers were reported along Topeka, and residents wanted a safer street.

The city installed nine speed humps to curb the problem, Roseman said. At 2 5/8 inches high, the speed humps are at the regulated city height and are not considered massive, he said.

The city’s speed-hump program has been in operation for five years, and speed humps have been installed at more than 200 locations citywide, Roseman said.

The petitions signed by residents living along Topeka are on file with the Department of Transportation.

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Traffic Talk appears Fridays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers may submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. Fax letters to (818) 772-3385. E-mail questions to valley.news@latimes.com.