Frustration over traffic and speeds on U.S. Highway 395 came to a head at this week’s Inyo Board of Supervisors meeting following a recent car vs high school student incident. The teen was battered, bruised and traumatized but will recover from the physical injuries.
Fifth District Supervisor Matt Kingsley brought up the incident at the start of Tuesday’s meeting. A semi had stopped at a crosswalk to allow the pedestrian to cross. A passenger vehicle pulled around the truck to pass and struck the teen. Kingsley commented that the staff at the local CalTrans office was good, but as a public agency, CalTrans was “not responsive.” He
also added there had been a “near miss” with an 8-year old recently.
Lone Pine Unified School District board member Scott Kemp explained the situation more graphically. “There’s a grammar school at the north end of town and a high school at the south end,” he said. “Cars come into town at 70 mph.” He added that CalTrans had been receptive and law enforcement was great, but the speed indicators placed at both ends of the community
weren’t slowing traffic. “They’re used to driving that fast,” he said. “It’s a mentality.”
Mentality is the issue. Tourist traffic from Southern California headed to and from points north don’t seem to realize there are living human beings in the small communities seen as simply places to stop for gas, grab a meal or just get through as fast as possible. On a recent Sunday afternoon, traffic through Bishop was a bumper to bumper crawl. Once the traffic hit the south end of town, speeds hit 80 and didn’t slow through Big Pine.
Nate Greenberg, Inyo’s chief administrative officer, told the Board CalTrans has asked for a meeting with the County to look at solutions. Stay tuned.
It is not only Lone Pine. I was stopped fora group of pedestrians in Bridgeport and a Mercedes SUV passed me illegally in the center turn lane. Screeching brakes, screaming people running and the driver just sped off. Entitled jerks also use the turn lane in Walker as a passing… Read more »
Lone Pine excessive speeders on 395 through town are totally crazy, 50 in a 35 is common 60++ is normal for many of those hurried idiots. a roadside monitor that checks speeds and takes photos of oncoming & outgoing offenders at each end of town that captures license plates with… Read more »
Why wasn’t CHP attending the meeting?
is it possible to have one of those text alerts that one gets for avalanche hazards etc? I received one during the last storms as I approached aspendell, so it seemed to recognize my location. Maybe we could have one go off for out-of-area area codes south of lone pine… Read more »
concerned resident Do you REALLY think that would work and slow them down any ? With no real enforcement ,it ain’t a gonna change… Here’s another suggestion. Instead of selling those old, worn out black and white Law Enforcement vehicles for $400 at auction, park them south and north of… Read more »
I think it would slow some of them down, maybe. I mean, our Main Streets are designed to look and function as highways – can’t blame some of these folks for not realizing they are driving through communities. The situation on 120/Benton Crossing clearly indicates they let their onboard navigation… Read more »
concerned resident I quit using and believing much of those high tech “navigation devices” years ago… Went to look for and visit the Charles Manson Barker Ranch in Death Valley a few years ago and hoping to get there using one of them devices. Literally in the middle of nowhere,… Read more »
Where is the highway patrol , or is this another case of you don’t want to bite the hand that feeds you . How about speed bumps through towns call them financial humps.
P ite But then what about emergency vehicles ?… And a good bet some of our tourists wouldn’t know about them, wouldn’t care about them if they did, and going their 55 MPH + through our towns, sure, damage to their vehicles, but what about the other vehicles, business’ and… Read more »
I don’t understand this. When I drive 395 I see many CHP and Inyo Sheriff SUVs. And Bishop itself has its own third police force. It seems that there are plenty of speed limit enforcement vehicles around. Something isn’t adding up.
There at the bottom of the story, saying “asking for a meeting to look at solutions “.. The ONLY real solution to this speeding through town problem in Lone Pine, the worst, followed closely by Independence. then Big Pine is two-fold…IMO…..first and foremost, heavy citations for those doing it, along… Read more »
David, I hope you are also attending meetings about this and putting into writing your suggestions and submitting them to CalTrans, CHP, Inyo Sheriff Dept., and Inyo Board of Supervisors. Maybe even Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce (Bishop’s Chamber seems to have some major pull with the City of Bishop… Read more »
Taking Action I’m probably going to get bashed by saying this, but no organizing meetings, submitting ideas, copy and pasting ideas, etc. for me. I’m sure some, and I probably know who they will probably say “then shut up, yadda, yadda, yadda.” But in all actuality, I’m old enough to… Read more »