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Traffic and Safety Commission reorganizes leadership; members raise safety concerns about Findlay, signal timing and street repaving
Summary
Commissioners appointed new leadership by roll call and used oral reports to flag several ongoing safety projects including a fatality-related review at Findlay, Beverly Boulevard signal upgrades, SB1 street repaving, and pedestrian signal timing; the commission also welcomed new traffic engineer Dennis Barnes.
Montebello’s Traffic and Safety Commission appointed new leadership and discussed several ongoing and emerging traffic-safety items during commission orals.
By roll call the commission approved a motion to appoint Vice Chair Beas as chair and Commissioner Knox as vice chair for the commission’s leadership (motion passed by recorded Aye votes). After reorganizing, members raised multiple operational issues for follow-up.
Commissioner Knox reported resident complaints about dangerous driving and "donuts" on Howard Avenue and asked staff to investigate. She also reported positive resident feedback about recently installed flashing beacons at Lincoln and Germaine and asked about barriers on Via Campo and Findlay Avenue after a recent fatality at that intersection.
Staff said the Findlay/Via Campo area is a high-priority safety matter; staff described recent assessments and said short-term mitigations will be pursued under emergency authority while long-term redesign will be evaluated. Staff noted signage and barriers already exist and said they will return to the commission and city council with short- and long-term solutions.
Commissioners asked for updates on several other items: Beverly Boulevard signal synchronization (Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is installing video detection cameras and upgrading controllers), Liberty Avenue signal timing (a resident reported long waits at 5 a.m.), SB1 FY23–24 street repaving (construction beginning with grinding and overlay scheduled), and pedestrian-priority timing at intersections. Staff said the county-managed Beverly project is approximately two-thirds complete and that the city is upgrading three local signals and will review pedestrian timing needs with the new traffic engineer.
Dennis Barnes, the city’s newly reappointed traffic engineer, introduced himself and said he has prior Montebello experience and will review signal timing and other outstanding traffic-safety issues. Police Chief Louie Lopez was present and said the department will work with the commission on enforcement and education as needed.
The commission closed with direction for staff to follow up on these items and to report back with updates.
