By Saj Sri-Kumar

The Los Angeles Police Department is cracking down on drivers speeding on the residential streets around the Upper School after receiving numerous complaints from residents.

LAPD Senior Lead Officer Ron Carter said the police received reports of speeding from homeowners along Greenleaf Street, a cut-through street used to access Coldwater Canyon Avenue from Valley Vista Boulevard which avoids the busy intersection with Ventura Boulevard.

“The complaints that I have been receiving are between 7:30 and 7:45 in the morning, Monday through Friday,” Carter said. “These were youthful drivers, some, obviously, very likely coming from the school.”

He said that officers would start to patrol the street more regularly in the mornings to try to catch drivers who are exceeding the speed limit.

Head of Security Jim Crawford agreed that some of the drivers are likely students.

“We have the nearest school, and the people have youthful appearances, and are driving nicer cars than most teenagers,” he said. “Our guys are pretty crafty about finding side streets to get here.”

Carter said that he hoped to have the speed limit reduced on Greenleaf to 20 mph from the current 25 mph.

“In driving through there myself, 25 miles per hour is not even reasonable,” he said. “It’s a very small street, barely wide enough for two cars, and there’s generally parking on at least one side. There are children, animals. So if you drive at 20, and try to accelerate to 25, it’s totally unsafe. I’m not sure we can have it reduced, but I’m hoping we can have some warning signs requesting people reduce their speed.”

After receiving the complaints, the LAPD placed a radar machine on the street to display drivers’ speed and record the number of drivers exceeding the limit, Carter said. That information could be presented to the city’s Department of Transportation, which has final authority over speed limits.