Residents urge action after crashes at Palos Verdes Boulevard and Prospect; commission votes advisory memo to council

The Redondo Beach Public Safety Commission on Dec. 16 heard multiple public reports that dangerous driving, heavy truck traffic and red‑light running at the Palos Verdes Boulevard–Prospect Avenue corridor are creating a public‑safety threat and pressed the city for stepped‑up enforcement and engineering changes.

Residents, school crossing guards and the commission’s traffic‑safety advocates described a string of recent collisions and near misses near Toledo Elementary School and the Prospect/Palos Verdes corridor. John Pershlan, a nearby resident who has submitted repeated reports through the city traffic portal, summarized the local data he has logged and said the police previously told him the site “does not appear to present a major traffic related concern.” Pershlan told commissioners he disagreed with that assessment and submitted additional neighborhood documentation for the commission’s review.

The exchange followed a series of public comments recounting serious incidents. “I fly 15 feet, land in front of my own house, unconscious, out, transported to a trauma center,” said resident Chuck Chavez, describing being struck while crossing the street. Other residents recounted trucks running stop signs, speeding and collisions that have occurred in daylight and near school arrival times.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the corridor combines heavy cut‑through truck traffic, long sight lines that invite high speeds and pedestrian exposure where children cross to school. Residents asked for a mix of short‑term enforcement and longer‑term engineering changes — from targeted citations and CHP commercial‑vehicle details to traffic calming such as lane reconfiguration, additional crosswalks and a roundabout — and urged the commission to forward that input to City Council.

What city staff said: Captain Michael Martinez of the Redondo Beach Police Department said the department is aware of the complaints, has run enforcement details there and is arranging a meeting between the chief and area residents. “The meeting with the chief is not canceled. It’s just postponed, and we’re working on a date in the near future,” Martinez said. He described ongoing enforcement by traffic and patrol officers and periodic commercial‑vehicle details with the California Highway Patrol.

Commission action: After public comment, commissioners voted to take advisory action and direct staff to draft a memo to City Council describing the complaints and recommending steps including increased enforcement, outreach to companies whose vehicles use the corridor, and interjurisdictional coordination with Torrance on truck routing. The commission approved the advisory action by voice vote; commissioners asked staff to draft language for the memo and circulate it to the commission for approval before sending it to council.

Limits and next steps: Staff emphasized enforcement resources are finite and that some roadway changes (signage, lane changes, truck‑route designations) require engineering and council action. Martinez said the police unit has logged the corridor requests in the department’s traffic‑complaint lists and encouraged residents to continue reporting incidents through the department’s hotline and portal so enforcement can be prioritized. The chief’s meeting with residents will be rescheduled for January.

Public evidence submitted: Residents said their portal reports list hundreds of incidents; Pershlan cited counts he logged via the traffic portal — red‑light runners, truck violations and reports of “wannabe drag racers” — and asked the commission to include that material in its evaluation. Commissioners asked staff to assemble the department’s collision and enforcement data for the area before the chief’s meeting.

What happens next: Staff will draft the advisory memo to City Council for commission review, confirm the chief’s meeting date with residents, and return enforcement and collision data to the Public Safety Commission for follow‑up.