Rancho Palos Verdes keeps Avenida Clásica traffic‑circles pilot, asks staff to study speed‑hump alternative

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council voted unanimously March 3 to continue a pilot installing traffic circles on Avenida Clásica and directed staff to study alternative traffic‑calming measures, including modified speed‑hump designs and additional geometric tweaks.

Staff presented data showing the pilot reduced prevailing vehicle speeds: “the prevailing speeds dropped from 32 miles per hour to 25 and 23 miles per hour,” Ramsey, the city staff presenter, told the council. That reduction, staff said, met the pilot’s objective of slowing traffic in the neighborhood and reducing cut‑through trips to the golf course.

The decision followed nearly two hours of public comment in which neighbors split sharply. Supporters, including Traffic Safety Committee members, said the circles reduced speeds and urged the council to implement mitigation measures such as improved signage, red curb and deflectors to make the device more intuitive. “I strongly encourage the council to continue down the direction of this pilot project to optimize it,” said Dr. Kit Song, a Traffic Safety Committee member.

Opponents said the prototypes create new safety problems on steep grades and narrow sight lines. Resident Dane Mott told the council, “The grade on the street is 10 to 11%,” and argued national guidance limits roundabouts on steep slopes. Other speakers, such as Dan Myers, said motorists still “scoot over to the curb and speed right past” and asked for larger deflectors so drivers must negotiate the circle.

Council members weighed the engineering evidence against resident concerns. Several members noted the measured speed reductions and urged incremental changes rather than removal. Council member Lewis said removing a measure that has demonstrably reduced speeds would be counterproductive and recommended continuing the pilot while exploring additions such as extended red curb and splitter‑island delineators.

Mayor Seo moved to continue the item and to direct staff to return with a set of alternatives — including the staff‑recommended enhancements (widened islands, pavement markings, signage, and splitter devices) and an engineering evaluation of speed‑hump designs that account for grade, drainage and emergency response impacts. The motion passed on a unanimous roll call.

Next steps: staff will return with comparative options, engineering analyses that include emergency‑vehicle input, and cost estimates. The council did not order immediate removal of the circles; instead it instructed staff to pursue refinements and to evaluate whether a modified speed‑hump approach could match the current speed‑reduction effect.

What remains unsettled: residents and some council members continue to dispute whether the circles or speed humps are more appropriate on the steep sections of Avenida Clásica. The council asked staff to prioritize community compatibility and to present options quickly so the council can act at a future meeting.