Topanga Citizens Take on Enforcing Speed Limits Themselves

Topanga Canyon Road, or CA State Highway 27, is a frequently travelled road for commuters and SFV/Malubu residents. For the most part, it's just a two lane road with a couple of passing lanes or turn-outs here and there. Almost half way between Woodland Hills to the North, and the Pacific Ocean to the South lies the ultra-hippie artisian community of Topanga.

Topanga's a very small community nestled in these Santa Monica Mtns of only a couple thousand residents, most scattered across the canyon sides and strung along the highway itself along with the local businesses. There are two traffic control lights on the road within town. One is by the elementry school N or town, the other isadjacent to a very popular Mexican Restaurant near the town center.

Earlier this year, the State of CA re-evaluated the posted speed limits on this highway and made some adjustments. Basically there is now a max 50 mph in the longer stretches of road, with 35 and 25 limits where needed inside the township of Topanga itself.

After the state made the limit changes, it seems there was a group of locals who voiced their opinion that the speed limits were not lowered enough.

A sign posted on the bulletin board of one of Topanga's grocery stores is drawing the attention of the locals. The sign says in big block letters; "FORCE THE TRANSIENTS TO SLOW DOWN!"

The sign goes on to say, in a very wordy delivery, that the State didn't go far enough to slow traffic on Topanga Road (Highway 27) and that the people of Topanga need to take the responsibility on themselves "to FORCE people to drive slower".

That's right, they actually used the phrase "to FORCE people to drive slower".

How do you suppose they propose to force slower traffic? By asking all residents who live in the area to drive 10 mph slower than the posted limits themselves when driving on the open highway, and 5 mph slower in the town center where the speed limit is already 35 mph or less.

Since passing slower is already nearly impossible, the locals feel they can force the public to drive slower by clogging the road themselves when they drive these public roads.

This means even though the legal posted limit may be 50 mph, a local resident is going to force you to dive 40 mph by driving slower themselves ahead of you.

The next time I am travelling on Topanga and I get behind a Toyota Prius with all kinds of left-wing stickers on it touting the words like "COEXIST", "Impeach Bush" and "Slow Down Through Topanga", it better be going close to the speed limit, otherwise the driver himself/herself will be labeled a Highway A-hole... over and over again, through my car window, at the top of my lungs.

JULY 27, 2007 @ 3:54 pm – WB Ventura Blvd at Topanga Blvd

I have this theory. If an older driver owns a new luxury car, let’s say something like a new Benz, they seem to always refuse to look other drivers in the eye, refusing to acknowledge others are around them. I think they believe they are better than the rest of us. Boy oh boy, are they Highway A-holes.

I was running an errand in Woodland Hills this afternoon. I was driving west on Ventura Blvd in the right turn lane. I was planning to make the turn onto NB Topanga Blvd. At this particular intersection, there is a traffic right turn signal. You have to wait for the arrow to turn green before you can make a right turn. I was the first car in line for the turn waiting for the green arrow light. As the arrow turned greed signaling the OK to make the turn, I slowly started to make the turn into the congested NB traffic. Suddenly I heard two or three horns honks behind me. I glanced to the left to make sure no one was coming (although I did have the light and right-of-way). Sonofabitch, here comes a big-ass black Benz coupe forcing its way into sharing my lane.

I stopped after completing the turn onto Topanga. Inches from my driver door was the Benz. Sitting in the driver’s seat was an elderly silver haired biddy with oversized plastic black framed sunglasses on, as is the fashion now-a-days. She was staring straight ahead. She must have come from Topanga Blvd from the S, through the intersection (and a red light) and ended up next to me trying to clear the intersection for the rest of the traffic that was crossing E to W by that point.

I glanced over hoping to give her the old “mal' occhio”, or evil eye. Nothing doin’, she just kept looking straight ahead. Even when traffic started to move, rather that let me continue on (I mean after all, I was there first) she kept on getting closer to my door as she moved up. Being the fucking pacifist that I am, I stopped and let her stringy old ass go ahead. As I did so, she never looked at me to give a thanking nod or anything; she just kept looking straight ahead as if I wasn’t there.

Only old people driving new luxury cars would be that fucking arrogant.