A young Beverly Hills resident gave City Council members a few suggestions Tuesday for dealing with the problem of "wildly speeding" cars on residential streets and the danger they pose to pedestrians, other vehicles and property.
Adriel Ghadoushi, a local sixth grader, eloquently addressed the five-member panel during the formal council meeting at City Hall.
"Our neighborhood needs to control the speed limit," Ghadoushi said. "With the speed limits being 25 miles per hour, motorists are exceeding these limits as I speak."
He suggested that "the city of Beverly Hills should try to make motorists aware of their speeding by posting a digital sign which tells them their current speed or adding speed bumps."
After describing "wildly speeding" vehicles that he regluarly sees in the afternoon on the street where he lives, Ghadoushi supported his presentation with government statistics:
Speeding causes 31 percent of all fatal crashes in the United States, killing an average of 1,000 Americans every month, Ghadoushi said, citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
He also noted the importance of maintaining a low speed with regard to a vehicle's stopping distance and the correlation between reduced speeds and the likelihood of car crashes.
"At 20 miles per hour it takes 46 feet to come to a stop; at 30 miles per hour the stopping distance nearly doubles to 87 feet; at 40 miles per hour the stopping distance nearly triples to 140 feet in perfect weather conditions," Ghadoushi explained.
"We need this wild speeding to be controlled soon," he said.
Mayor William Brien commended the young concerned citizen for his presentation.
"You are very articulate, and obviously you did a fantastic job in doing the scientific research behind what you shared," Brien told Ghadoushi.
The mayor requested a copy of Ghadoushi's report and presented the boy with a city of Beverly Hills lapel pin amid a round of applause for Ghadoushi from those assembled in the Council Chamber.
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City Hall will applaud your initiative and perhaps study your report but call it job done simply by patting you on the back.
However, nothing will be done here in BH about speeding. Walk along Olympic Boulevard at night and see what I mean.
Speed bumps? Good job, Mayor Brien, on commending this young man's efforts!