City to Seek More Community Input on Safe Routes to Schools Grant

After many residents complained of having insufficient notice to comment on plans for a Safe Routes to Schools grant, city traffic engineer Gabe Garcia and his team have decided to gather more community feedback on infrastructure improvements aimed at making the areas surrounding Culver City High and Middle School and La Ballona Elementary more pedestrian-friendly. 

There is no target date for applying for the grant—which focuses on making streets safer for kids getting to school—said Garcia, but there will be a meeting in the fall to begin the process of hearing from the community.

“What we want to do is to go back to the community, and we’re hoping that by making this back to square one—and making it fully open, fully transparent—that we’ll be able to deal with all of the concerns,” Garcia said. Originally, Garcia had hoped to submit a plan for the grant by the July 15 deadline, but he said he did not want the pressure of a deadline to outweigh the importance of having a plan that meets the needs of the community.

Infrastructure ideas for the area have included new traffic signals, curb extensions and high visibility crosswalks for a total price tag of $1 million, which would be fully funded by a federal Safe Routes to Schools grant. Garcia did submit a non-infrastructure grant application by the July 15 deadline, which focuses on the enforcement and education of pedestrians around the schools. The non-infrastructure grant, totaling $500,000, is a “competitive application” said Garcia. The Culver City Unified School District is battling for funds against other school districts in Caltrans' District 7.

He is expecting to hear back in October whether the CCUSD won a noninfrastructure grant. 

At a Safe Routes to Schools meeting on Aug. 20, residents expressed their displeasure with traffic and congestion in the area during the school year, with the alleyways surrounding the schools getting particular criticism.

“It’s like the Indy 500 on those alleyways and it could get worse if the streets go one-way. I’ve been wondering when a small child or pet is going to get slammed because they just don’t stop. Do we have to put up gates or bars to keep people off the alleys?” asked resident Melissa Sanders.

Said resident Tom Myers: “Alleys in the mornings remind me of a Third World country. They don’t stop. We can’t open our windows because of the dust—it would be nice if some of the drivers would hold off to let us back out of our own driveways.”

Many people said they believed several aspects of the since-withdrawn plan were helpful, but several said they needed more information about actual infrastructure changes to the area.

In addition to the high school and La Ballona area, the Linwood Howe neighborhood will also eventually see changes after Garcia and team secured a $498,000 improvements grant for that locale. He is proposing to begin construction there next summer. His ideal would be for all of the CCUSD campuses to have a Safe Routes to Schools plan.

Despite hesistation on the part of some people who want more notice about proposed changes to their neighborhoods, the buzz around the community is that something needs to be done. In February of this year, a child was hit by car in front of Farragut Elementary during the dismissal hour. School Board President Scott Zeidman’s son was also hit in front of Farragut in September 2008. Community members have started a Facebook page, titled “Culver City School Neighbors,” where pedestrian issues are a key part of the discussion.  

“There’s no courtesy. These parents are setting a bad example for their kids, speeding and also texting while driving,” said Ken LaFonzo about the area surrounding the middle and high school. “If I yell slow down, they yell back at me. It’s like a life or death issue with them to get the kids to school on time.”