West Hills Neighborhood Council

City to fund lights at site of crosswalk tragedy

Seven months after two women and their pet dog died while attempting to use a crosswalk on Roscoe Boulevard at Jason Avenue, Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles City Council have agreed to fund a crosswalk lighting system to help prevent more pedestrian fatalities at the intersection.

City Councilmember Mitchell Englander sponsored a motion to allocate $80,000 from the city’s Street Furniture Fund — funded by advertising revenues generated at bus benches and bus shelters — for purchasing and installing the system. Councilmembers Ryu and Buscaino also sponsored the motion, which was approved by all City Councilmembers present on Aug. 26.

While details of the crosswalk lights are not confirmed, the West Hills Neighborhood Council’s Streets & Transportation Committee has advocated a pedestrian-activated system that would illuminate the crosswalk path with small lights embedded in the street.

Residents were reminded of the potential dangers on West Hills streets on Oct. 24, when a young man died in a car accident on Sherman Way near Woodlake Avenue.