Answering the Call
Here is the way the story unfolded:
Thirty-nine days ago, Mr. Hoult and Mr. O’Leary shared a byline in this newspaper with Mr. Hoult’s wife, Dr. Janet Hoult, by relating an unusual story. (“Hoult-O’Leary Research Offers Traffic Solutions for Seniors,” Friday, March 2.)
They complained that the traffic signal closest to the heavily patronized Senior Center changed too fast for elderly persons to safely reach their destinations.
They said the light at the intersection of broad and busy Culver Boulevard/Overland Avenue was too short in all directions for older people to cross safely, comfortably.
Only the fastest seniors in Culver City could cross confidently.
A Challenge
Eschewing plain, old bleating, the very active Hoult couple and Mr. O’Leary conducted their own private research.
Sophisticatedly, they challenged City Hall.
They publicly offered a body of evidence to buttress their claims about the endangerment of Culver City’s most fragile residents, listing half a dozen compelling facts.
Calm and Firm
While maintaining a calm but cement-firm demeanor before resting their case, the Hoults and Mr. O’Leary, in quite civil terms, dared City Hall to ignore their cause.
This was not a political football but rather a life-and-limb matter, they argued.
In conclusion, the Hoults and Mr. O’Leary offered City Hall its choice of 4 options:
2. Post signs, warning drivers.
3. Enlarge the present median islands/add new ones.
4. Increase the crossing time allotted for pedestrians on all 4 corners.
Reluctance
The petitioners — Dr. Hoult, Mr. Hoult, Mr. O’Leary — by now familiar figures around City Hall, all seem reluctant, downright resistant,today to take a bow.
As of this morning, Mr. Hoult nominated Mr. O’Leary to receive the primary credit, telling the newspaper:
“He first raised this issue which he found he found while volunteering at our Senior Center. After the story ran, he started a petition at the Senior Center, seeking to remedy the situation.
Was This the Motivation?
“I believe,” Mr. Hoult continued, “that when this came to the attention of the government, they promptly chose discretion over valor.”
As for Mr. Hoult’s role, he said that it was purely accidental, although one of his tasks in this raising of social consciousness was to shoot the pertinent intersection pictures that appeared in this newspaper.
A Dog and an ‘Accident’
“I merely discovered the traffic light timing change,” he said, “while on a routine walk with my girlfriend, Brandy, our dog.”
Enter Mr. Herbertson, who has brought a charismatic zest and visibility to the often dreary visaged Dept. of Public Works.
When he spoke to the newspaper this afternoon, he, too, took one step back when the prospect of credit was mentioned.
Next Heroes
Mr. Herbertson said the truly deserving parties are consulting traffic engineers Max Paetzold and Barry Kurtz.
But it was Mr. Herbertson who initiated the change.
He promptly acknowledging the problem. Then he handed the fix-it assignment to Mr. Kurtz and Mr. Paetzold, who would not have to prove their identity to become members of the Senior Center.
Not the First Time
A fitting preface to this unusually fast turnaround by City Hall is that the alert Mr. Herbertson has been there before, at the intersection of Culver and Overland.
In the first year he worked for Culver City, he and traffic specialist Sammy Romo increased the signal times at that corner, and they did a little further tweaking.
This time, Public Works has made clearly quantifiable improvements.
Keeping Score
According to Mr. Herbertson, these are the lengthened times for the traffic signals:
Entering from the east leg, it was raised from 32 to 33 seconds.
Entering from the north leg of Overland, from 32 to 36 seconds.
Entering from the south leg of Overland, from 30 to 32 seconds.
