When my wife and I moved to Santa Clarita, California, we didn't know we were soon to be part of a Stephen King novel. Like most horror stories, it starts out by a couple, weary of congestion, finding a beautiful, peaceful and friendly community. Our plan was to rent for a year, then purchase a home in Valencia (a district of Santa Clarita). Part of the inducement was that Santa Clarita has consisently been named third or fourth safest city in America for years.
The truth is it's the most unsafe city I've ever been in. My wife is petrified to go outside half of the time and she's from Colombia! The reason is there is a serious speeding and road rage problem.
Our street is a very long residential street with over 700 apartment units. At all hours of the day and night you see low life whizzing by at speeds exceeding 70 miles per hour. On the two main streets, Sierra Highway and Soledad Canyon, the average speed is between 60 and 70.
There is even a little dance my wife and I call the "Santa Clarita Shuffle." You take off in your car. Within five minutes you see a vehicle in your mirror, far enough away that the driver has adequate time and space to pass you. But nooooo, he or she has to come zooming up on your bumper, tailgate you for half a mile or so, then cut across lanes at a 45 degree angle without signaling, then zoom off to do the same thing to another driver.
The guilty parties are, as one might guess, the usual: macho wannabes, little sticks driving big vehicles, Soccer moms in SUV's, Mr. "Look at my BMW", etc. I'm a trained stunt driver and I drive a performance car and I couldn't brake safely at this speed and range — imagine one of these pantywaists having to make a panic stop!
I contacted the L.A. County Sheriff's office and was told that they have a high visible presence and aggressively cite violators and it doesn't seem to make a dent.in fact, one deputy told me that they write so many tickets that the courts are backed up two months in the processing.
Obviously, the City of Santa Clarita has a huge revenue source through citations. Then I began noticing that the lights are exceedingly long (traffic is usually backed up at intersections at all hours) and the duration of amber lights is very short (to trigger the cameras more often). And, to top it off, the lights are timed so that if you wait at one, then go the speed limit when it turns green, the next light will turn red just as you arrive!
I do think anyone would dispute that it's only human nature that, under these circumstances, a large number of people are going to speed or run the lights to break this cycle. And frankly, I can't blame them. I think it's also a no-brainer that this was done deliberately to turn motorists into scofflaws so the city can raise money by citing them.
What I find appalling is a city government that would deliberately create a Road Rage capital, and a city government that cares only about raising revenues. Obviously, these people are indifferent to the fact that when people speed, run red lights and drive in an enraged state due to traffic signals deliberately designed to make them that way, people die.
I know there have been a few lawsuits against the city. However, I don't understand why these enraged motorists don't turn their anger into something constructive and throw the callous punks who don't care if the citizens of the community or their children, end up as bumper decorations as long as they can raise a few bucks.
John
Canyon Country, CA
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