Beaumont-Wilshire is a quiet neighborhood with family-friendly neighborhood streets surrounded by busy arterial streets. With new smartphone technology, like Google Maps and Waze, drivers have started to use these family-friendly streets as a way to avoid waiting at traffic lights and save a couple seconds.
Skidmore Street—adjacent to the Wilshire Park playground, ball fields, and unfenced off-leash dog area—is a case in point. Although vehicle-friendly Prescott Street is only one block north, more and more inconsiderate motorists speed down Skidmore, putting kids and pets at risk and disturbing the many park users seeking peace and quiet in the park’s tranquil green spaces. Using a conventional radar gun for 10 minutes one Tuesday afternoon, multiple drivers were clocked going over 31 mph, with one driver going 36 mph in this 20-mph zone.
There are many options available to improve the situation before a tragedy occurs. Others interested in working on this problem can contact Sam Balto at sambalto@gmail.com.
Editor’s Note: Due to the coronavirus, it’s uncertain when the next BWNA meeting will be, but the board continues to function behind the scenes, and I encourage residents to utilize this newsletter to call the board’s attention to other neighborhood concerns.