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Emergency physician urges automated speed enforcement after fatal crash on Moholland Highway
Summary
Dr. Jolie Fer told the Calabasas City Council that repeated high‑speed crashes on Moholland Highway — including a recent fatality — require tools beyond patrols, and she urged the council to pursue automated speed enforcement, roadway changes and other measures.
An emergency department physician told the Calabasas City Council on June 24 that Moholland Highway has become routinely dangerous and asked the city to move beyond enforcement alone to reduce deadly crashes.
"Cars routinely speed, race, pass on blind curves, cross into oncoming traffic," said Jolie Fer, who identified herself as an emergency room physician and a Calabasas resident of more than 30 years. She spoke after last weekend's crash that killed two people and said she had discussed the problem with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s station and the county supervisor’s office.
Fer said staffing limits at the sheriff’s station mean patrols alone cannot solve the problem and listed additional measures she wants the council to pursue: automated speed‑enforcement cameras, vehicle‑mounted decoy enforcement, speed‑feedback signs, more and clearer warning signage, and physical roadway improvements. "I don't want another study. I want action," she said.
Fer also cited a state legislative option she said would enable cities to obtain automated speed‑enforcement systems, and she named a senator in connection with that legislation. The transcript's bill number was unclear; the article does not assert a bill number beyond what the speaker said.
Council members acknowledged the complaints and asked staff to coordinate with sheriff's leadership. Mayor Prom Alrech said he will place the topic on a future agenda; staff confirmed a session in August will include sheriff's representatives to discuss enforcement and staffing. City Manager Kendan said council asked for a law‑enforcement briefing and additional staff work at the next meeting.
What happens next: The council asked staff to invite the sheriff's captain or sergeant to the August meeting to explain enforcement capacity, discuss possible engineering countermeasures and identify near‑term options the city can take while exploring state or grant funding for automated systems.
Why this matters: Council members and residents said the issue is urgent because repeated high‑speed incidents — including recent fatalities — suggest a pattern that local enforcement alone has not solved. The request for automated enforcement reflects a push to use technology where patrol resources are limited.
