On August 9, 2021, City Council will decide whether to approve the Quick Build re-design of the Overland/Ranch/Kelmore intersection, based on community feedback from meetings in January and March. Click on the image for the full PDF.
Traffic
Great news. We will no longer have a free-for-all at the subject intersection. Tomorrow (Friday, May 16), the city contractors will be out after 9 a.m. to begin laying down the new striping design. It will be on a test program for a maximum of 6 months and will be determined by the residents whether it is the best workable plan for that intersection.
I hope we all find the new traffic pattern safer and more user friendly than previous plans, or no plans as the case was. If, once the striping is complete and you’ve had opportunities to drive through it, you have any comments, please direct them to me at culvercity99 (at) aol (dot) com.
Good luck and safer driving.
Mike Bauer
President
C.C.N.A.
Gabe Garcia (Culver City Traffic Engineer) has indicated that he has received approval for striping the Overland Blvd. and Ranch Road intersection per CCNA’s revised proposal.
He said that the striping project will now be put out to bid (3 bids minimum). While he wouldn’t commit to an approximate installation date, we guess it will happen within one to two months.
Please note that the additional items (the “Yield” sign in the Kelmore left turn lane from Ranch and the setting back of the “Stop” sign southbound on Overland) are not included. Also, the black and blue lines are traffic patterns only and not lines on the street.
Thanks to our City for the new striping and red curb painting on the Crest. Particular thanks to Gabe Garcia, Traffic Engineering Manager for Culver City, for all his help with this and other traffic projects. This task is far from over. There are plans to review other parts of the Crest that are considered traffic hazards once the Ranch Road job is done.
An aerial photographic plan of the proposed new intersection traffic pattern at Ranch, Kelmore and Overland has been circulated on the Crest. Your Board solicited reactions and comments from our membership. Wow! Did we receive comments, and thank you to all who submitted them. The problems we’re trying to overcome are the speed in which the traffic comes down Ranch to Overland, the line-of-sight for the downhill Kelmore drivers at that point to see merging downhill Ranch traffic and the width of the intersection, which causes numerous safety hazards, not the least of which is pedestrian attempting crossing that expanse.
After summarizing the comments received from residents, your Board submitted a revised plan to the City. We hope to have their comments back in time to discuss at the General Meeting. Once a plan is agreed to, it will be installed on a trial basis for up to six months before being deemed permanent. This gives us a chance to comment on the layout and make adjustments, if necessary.
The traffic safety roadwork on Ranch Road has been delayed partially due to the sewer line repairs taking place on the Crest. However, we will be receiving some of the balance of the project in the coming weeks. For example, posted advisory speed limit signage will soon be installed on Ranch Road. Also, there will be a double yellow stripe marking lanes up and down the curve at the top of Ranch Road along with the raised street deflectors. In addition, other new striping will soon be done on Ranch as well as surface painted stop signs.
There will also be a resurfacing project on the corner of Ranch Road and Overland Avenue. This will smooth out the bumps at that corner. Then the street will be realigned to make approaching that intersection safer. If you have thoughts about how that intersection could be improved, please send your suggestions to culvercity99 (at) aol (dot) com or attend the meeting that the city will soon be announcing that will address this project.
According to studies taken by the Culver City Engineering Department, the new red curbs have resulted in an improvement in safer driving conditions. The rest of the project will provide even greater safety for residents and guests.
Have you noticed the red paint on the curbs up and down Ranch? True to his word, Gabe Garcia, the City Traffic Engineering Manager, has begun the agreed upon safety improvements along the hill. New paint, center striping, new signs and some of those cool center street reflectors will make it easier to navigate the curves and hopefully slow down the cars dangerously speeding this street. Please advise your neighbors and watch your own speed. Please slow down when traversing the hill.
The City is continuing to study improvements for Crest traffic and will do the work in stages. The next area under consideration is the intersection of Ranch, Kelmore and Overland. While the City gears up for the study, please consider what changes you might wish to see at this intersection and email them to us at culvercity99 (at) aol (dot) com. Your input will be invaluable. Watch for a notification of when the City will be asking for resident input.
Speaking of driving slowly down the hill, Culver City Traffic Engineering Director Gabe Garcia has put together recommendations for improving traffic conditions on the Crest. These include speed and hazard awareness prompts, permanent alternative side of the street parking, and other aids and deterrents to drivers who continue to abuse the traffic laws.
Over the holidays, there were several vehicular accidents on the Crest. At Tellefson and Bernardo, a car jumped the curb and took out 4 feet of a driveway wall between two properties. The car sped away without capture. At Flaxton and Drakewood, a car sped down the hill failing to stop and collided with another vehicle. Fortunately, there were no injuries caused by these mishaps. Hope we stay this lucky!
Please, let’s all be more respectful of our neighborhood. It’s not just the employees at Marycrest Manor, as those who were ticketed by the CCPD at the corner of Ranch and Tellefson recently will attest. It’s not that big and imposition to slow down and stop at the stop signs.
Culver Crest Neighborhood Association 