I’ve received a number of letters regarding the traffic changes near the Culver City schools around Farragut Drive. The consensus seems to be that the school district has made a good decision in shoring up the traffic situation at the drop-off/pick-up area.
The new guideline mandates that drivers will no longer be allowed to make a left turn into the Culver City Middle School/Farragut Elementary School parking lots from Farragut Drive. In order for drivers to get into the parking lot, they must travel on Elenda Street and enter through the driveway closest to the middle school. Drivers can travel between CCMS and the natatorium to drop off students. They can only exit, however, through the driveway closest to Farragut. When drivers exit, they can only turn right onto Farragut.
Whereas many decisions to adopt new vehicular regulations often seem to come at a cost, this new system appears to be relatively painless. I’m sure a little bit of convenience may be lost for motorists who used to make left turns into the parking lot, but this move will free up the traffic behind those left-turning cars as they try to slip in between vehicles making right turns. Naturally, the line in the right lane will become more crowded and backed up, but at least everyone will be going in the same direction.
Trouble ensues when drivers, especially those running late, have a lack of guidance and fall back on their own sense of etiquette. The problem is really that such manners have not been codified and, thus, everyone seems to have their own sense of right and wrong when the theoretical wisdom of the long-forgotten driver’s education handbook has been scrapped in favor of practical, real-life experience.
The verbal repartee of angry motorists and blaring horns are no way for soon-to-be drivers to have to begin their day, to say nothing of children having to play Frogger, dodging incoming cars on their way to class.
