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Community Corner

Mulholland-Woodcliff Intersection Gets Long-Awaited Traffic Lights

Residents cheer as city officials flip the switch.

A small round of applause broke out 2 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Mulholland Drive and Woodcliff Road at the simple sight of blinking traffic lights. City department heads were joined by a half-dozen of the area's residents, who, fearing for their safety, have been pushing for lights at the intersection for nearly five years.

 “It is hugely dangerous," said resident Laurelle Johnson, who lives less than a mile from the intersection. “Cars are going very fast. Woodcliff is one of those roads that drivers use to avoid the 405 Freeway.”

Residents dreaded the turn from the less traveled Woodcliff onto busy Mulholland. The blind spots seemed especially dangerous to those attempting to turn left on Mulholland, some said. 

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“Making a left turn from Woodcliff onto Mulholland is as dangerous as it comes,” Johnson said. “Cars go fast. There are blind corners. Let’s just say you have to have a little bit of iron underwear to make the left turn.”

“You can wait here sometimes 10 minutes before it’s safe to make a left turn,” said resident Harriett Greenbaum. "The other day, what somebody had to do was literally stop traffic so that I could make a left. It’s been a huge, huge safety hazard for years now.”

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The problem first came to light at neighborhood watch meetings. Residents enlisted the help of other worried neighbors. From there, a group of about 35 residents appealed to local leaders.

“We lobbied as a community organization to get the funds," Greenbaum said.

But then the project ran headlong into the recession and the bumpy road of government bureaucracy, residents said. The series of 14 lights were put in place at the intersection, and remained inoperable for at least a year.  

Los Angeles Department of Transportation spokesman Bruce Gillman explained the delay.

“Sometimes what happens when you deal with multiple agencies is not everyone has the same priorities at the same moment in time," he said. "We have a limited time for a contract to be completed with a contractor, so that’s why those went up and a lot of residents were like, ‘Whoa, how come they’re not turned on?’ "

Because of the city’s financial limitations, it is only able to install about a dozen traffic lights a year, Gillman said.

The entire $175,000 project took about five years. The state helped pay for the design. Federal stimulus money paid for construction. 

But unlike other roads, where it sometimes takes a tragedy to get a traffic light installed, the Mulholland-Woodcliff intersection has not seen many traffic accidents. During 2000-09, the LADOT recorded just six accidents at the site, none of them fatal. 

“In this case, it was more of potential safety issue with curves in the road, high traffic volume," Gillman said. "We did a traffic survey three times at different times, different days of the week. Then we determined that it qualified."

On Tuesday, residents had only praise for the city leaders and agencies who gave them the lights.

“The city worked hard and got the right people in place,” Greenbaum said.

Susan Miller, who lives about two blocks from the intersection, said, “I am delighted. Now it’s going to be safer.”

But the new lights will take getting used to.

“The first few weeks is probably going to be people who aren’t expecting the light. They are going to go right through it,” Johnson said.

She was right. Minutes after the lights were activated, two drivers on Mulholland barreled right through the new red light. A DOT official said they have installed warning signs more than 200 feet ahead for Mulholland drivers who are not expecting the new traffic lights.

LADOT workers acknowledged that not all busy Mulholland motorists will be happy to make another red-light stop. How do residents respond? 

“Take another route,” Johnson said. 

 Added Greenbaum, “It’s better to stop than to have an accident.”

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