Panel OKs Traffic Light on Magnolia

After years of lobbying from parents at nearby Lankershim Elementary School, city officials have drawn up plans to install a traffic signal at the corner of Magnolia Boulevard and Bakman Avenue, where a crossing guard was struck and killed in November by a 17-year-old motorist.

The plan, which was approved Tuesday by the Los Angeles City Council’s Transportation Committee, calls for three-color traffic lights at the intersection. There is now a painted crosswalk across Magnolia, and city officials had considered upgrading to a “smart crosswalk,” with yellow flashing lights warning drivers to slow down when pedestrians were in the road.

But a new study of traffic and accidents at the corner prompted officials to go with a full signal. Recent Transportation Department analysis shows that since 1997, there have been eight right-angle traffic accidents at the corner that could have been prevented with a traffic signal.

Community pressure was also a factor in the wake of the accident, in which the teenager allegedly lost control of his car on Magnolia, swerving onto the curb and killing crossing guard William Hooper, 60, of Tujunga.

“We had a whole busload of parents and concerned citizens who went down to City Hall Tuesday,” said Lynette Smith, assistant principal at Lankershim Elementary. “I’m sure parents are extremely happy about it.”

The full council is scheduled to vote on the plan Tuesday. If approved, the lights could be installed in six to 12 months, transportation officials said.