Comments of the Week: Traffic, Beach

From traffic concerns to beach pride, Hermosa Beach Patch readers shared their opinions on the week's latest news. Here are some comments we've received.

Traffic Study

The Hermosa Beach City Council on Tuesday reviewed a recent study of the Prospect Avenue and Aviation Boulevard intersection. As , Patch readers shared which roadways and traffic issues they would like given some attention.

• "People don't stop at stop signs all over Ardmore, not to mention the Ardmore x Artesia four-way stop. Every single day I get scared of driving to work." — wrote .
• "From my front door I can view the intersections of Pier Avenue and Ardmore and Valley Drive. During the past six months I have witnessed five accidents. I have lived here for over 25 years so, doing the math, you can imagine how many other accidents I have witnessed, and even photographed. The city chooses to ignore this 'double' intersection (what else is new.) Thanks to being awaken by noise generated from 705 Pier Ave. (Zen Lounge,) I often witness and get a big kick out of drivers, especially numerous taxi drivers, who travel this area from midnight to 2, 3 a.m.; they drive right through the stop signs on Pier Avenue and there's not one cop giving out tickets. Not one. Another problem is drivers using Valley Drive north of Pier Avenue as a drag strip. The posted MPH is 25 yet drivers constantly drive in excess of that posted speed. I've never seen an officer once stop a car for speeding along Valley Drive. The apathy towards issuing tickets by the police department for driving violations is unbelievable." — wrote .
• "Well, since we're ranting about idiotic and dangerous traffic in Hermosa, let me chime in on the madness that is the traffic lights at Pier and Hermosa avenues. The signal is now interminably long so that people can cross diagonally—to a plaza where there is no traffic. And not only that, but with the four lights in the quarter-mile stretch between 11th Street and 15th Street on Hermosa Avenue, they do not appear to be timed. I have been caught at every single light in that stretch from Mama D's to the Cedar Restaurant, making it a 10-minute commute to go four blocks. Insane" — wrote .

Beach Grade

In its annual beach report card, for cleanliness. One Patch reader reminisced about the health of the local beach.

• "Our South Bay waters are much cleaner than I can remember as a kid. Evidence is many more dolphin sightings daily. Dolphins don't much care for swimming in polluted waters, so the regional ones that we see are much more prevalent now. Thanks Heal the Bay, Surfrider Foundation and many others. You have made a HUGE difference." — wrote .

Coming up: Check Patch on Sundays for our weekly roundup of the latest Hermosa Beach headlines in the Week in Review.