“Impossible.” “Horrible.” “Blinding.”
Those were the words used by Patty Contreras, a mother of two, to describe traffic near two schools in Pico Rivera.
“Just last week we almost had a parent get hit carrying a baby, because a car was going super fast,” said Contreras.
“They [drivers] don’t stop. Nobody is respecting any of the traffic” laws near Rivera Middle School and Rivera Elementary, Contreras told Pico Rivera city council members at a recent meeting.
Pedestrian injuries and deaths have become a major issue in the region and other parts of the state. Despite a city initiative to reduce them, pedestrian deaths have increased more than 80 percent in recent years, according to a Los Angeles Times story this month examining data from the city.
In Pico, some council members echoed Contreras’ concerns. Council Member Gregory Salcido said he, too, has “a son at Rivera Elementary and if you ever want to ruin your morning mood, drop your children off at one of our elementary schools, or even middle schools.”
Salcido blames the selfishness of parents as being the biggest issue: “We need some comprehensive approaches. We have been dealing with this issue for years with the school district.”
Gustavo Camacho, the mayor, suggested Contreras talk with Steven Carmona, the city of Pico’s director of Community & Economic Development. “He can follow up with you and make sure that everything is taken a look at,” Camacho said.
Contreras, who has lived in Pico for 16 years, said there have been countless times in which she was walking her kids to school and had to hit the trunks of other people’s cars just so they would stop and not hit them.
“We have parents [driving] that feel they have the priority to go any which way that they want,” she said.
The kids get out of school on Danbridge Street, where Contreras said she has seen people in their cars speeding around the cross walks all the time.
Contreras asked council members to install speed bumps to slow down traffic. She said the speed bumps would help “protect our kids and they will be a lot safer.”
Community News reporters are enrolled in JOUR 3910 – University Times. They produce stories about under-covered neighborhoods and small cities on the Eastside and South Los Angeles. Please email feedback, corrections and story tips to [email protected].
