canyon racers =(
07-23-07 | 06:18 PM
#1
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From: south bay
canyon racers =(
Monday, July 02, 2007
A joint effort between the CHP and Sheriff's Department will put the brake on canyon speeders.
By Vicki Talbot / Special to The Malibu Times
Although accidents on Pacific Coast Highway have involved many deaths in the past years-two people died in highway accidents in the past month and a half-and garnered headline attention around the world, as with the February 2006 Enzo Ferrari crash at a speed of more than 162 mph, local law enforcement agencies and a county supervisor are focusing safety efforts on canyon driving in the unincorporated areas of the Santa Monica Mountains. However, officials say that the program, "Operation Safe Canyons," will have a "collateral" effect on highway driving.
Complaints of noise and speeding, as well as accidents, some of them fatal, throughout the canyons have prompted the program that will put the brakes on exhibition speeding on these roads. Those who violate the laws by speeding or other unsafe driving practices will find it much harder to get away with it. "Operation Safe Canyon" is a collaboration of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills Station, the California Highway Patrol West Valley area and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
At a press conference Monday on Mulholland Highway near Kanan Dume Road, Yaroslavsky, CHP Area Commander Stephen Webb and Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station Capt. Tom Martin announced their stepped-up presence. "Look at the skid-marks on the highway. That is evidence of unsafe driving," said Martin, pointing to Mulholland's blacktop at an overlook.
The joint effort will allow Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers to patrol both incorporated and unincorporated areas within the entire 500 miles of roads that are in the Santa Monica Mountains.
"We intend to save lives," Yaroslavsky said. "Law enforcement is coming down like a ton of bricks."
Residents' complaints of noise and unsafe driving conditions, combined with two fatalities and 60 collisions since the first of the year, illustrate the problems, Webb said.
There is a demographic involved, CHP Officer Leland Tang said. "These are men who are single, in their mid- 20s to early 40s, who have large discretionary incomes for high-tech cars and motorcycles. To physically handle it, the CHP needed to make this partnership."
Areas such as Tuna Canyon, Decker Canyon, Mulholland Highway, Piuma Stunt Loop and Saddle Peak are "popular spots," he said.
Exhibition speeders set up Web sites on the Internet advertising their next race or event, Webb said. They announce sites all throughout the canyons and "use cell phones to move them to the other side of the canyon," when they see us. Patrols have already started to drop the number of violations.
"We have issued 800 citations since Jan. 1 in the area," Webb said. "That is including 625 violations for speeding and six DUI arrests."
With a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and funding provided through the office of Supervisor Yaroslavsky, the CHP and Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's deputies will be able to patrol "24/7," he said. The CHP is planning to attend town meetings to get the word out.
Exhibition speeders like to "congregate here in the middle of nowhere. It's become a magnet," he said. "If you don't see a cruiser here now, there's a good chance there is one around the next corner."
However, the problem is not just safety. Noise plagues residents all night long. Vehicles that have large exhausts, cars that are lowered, supercharged and chipped are street racing and crossing double-yellow lines, burning out from a stop and pulling back on turns just before they run off the cliff. One resident, who did not wish to be identified, said these racers routinely rescue each other with their own equipment, towing cars up embankments and picking up wrecks.
Some area residents expressed gratitude for the increased patrols. They complimented law enforcement for their efforts.
In Malibu, Pacific Coast Highway is considered a main feeder for these forays into the mountains. The speeders and exhibition drivers tend to take the less popular routes, such as Tuna, Decker and Las Flores canyons into the mountains. Patrols will be extended to find the feeder routes, and Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers will be working overtime in the region.
"They will impound, jail and arrest offenders," Yaroslavsky said. "This is no joke."
"Exhibitionist speeders race in the Santa Monica Mountains, among the most dangerous roads in the county." Webb said.
As for safety on Pacific Coast Highway, law enforcement and county officials say their efforts will have a "collateral" effect on catching unsafe drivers who use the highway to get to the canyons. Also, six traffic signs that show how fast drivers are going on the highway were recently installed and enforcement is stepped up overall during summertime.
A joint effort between the CHP and Sheriff's Department will put the brake on canyon speeders.
By Vicki Talbot / Special to The Malibu Times
Although accidents on Pacific Coast Highway have involved many deaths in the past years-two people died in highway accidents in the past month and a half-and garnered headline attention around the world, as with the February 2006 Enzo Ferrari crash at a speed of more than 162 mph, local law enforcement agencies and a county supervisor are focusing safety efforts on canyon driving in the unincorporated areas of the Santa Monica Mountains. However, officials say that the program, "Operation Safe Canyons," will have a "collateral" effect on highway driving.
Complaints of noise and speeding, as well as accidents, some of them fatal, throughout the canyons have prompted the program that will put the brakes on exhibition speeding on these roads. Those who violate the laws by speeding or other unsafe driving practices will find it much harder to get away with it. "Operation Safe Canyon" is a collaboration of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills Station, the California Highway Patrol West Valley area and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
At a press conference Monday on Mulholland Highway near Kanan Dume Road, Yaroslavsky, CHP Area Commander Stephen Webb and Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station Capt. Tom Martin announced their stepped-up presence. "Look at the skid-marks on the highway. That is evidence of unsafe driving," said Martin, pointing to Mulholland's blacktop at an overlook.
The joint effort will allow Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers to patrol both incorporated and unincorporated areas within the entire 500 miles of roads that are in the Santa Monica Mountains.
"We intend to save lives," Yaroslavsky said. "Law enforcement is coming down like a ton of bricks."
Residents' complaints of noise and unsafe driving conditions, combined with two fatalities and 60 collisions since the first of the year, illustrate the problems, Webb said.
There is a demographic involved, CHP Officer Leland Tang said. "These are men who are single, in their mid- 20s to early 40s, who have large discretionary incomes for high-tech cars and motorcycles. To physically handle it, the CHP needed to make this partnership."
Areas such as Tuna Canyon, Decker Canyon, Mulholland Highway, Piuma Stunt Loop and Saddle Peak are "popular spots," he said.
Exhibition speeders set up Web sites on the Internet advertising their next race or event, Webb said. They announce sites all throughout the canyons and "use cell phones to move them to the other side of the canyon," when they see us. Patrols have already started to drop the number of violations.
"We have issued 800 citations since Jan. 1 in the area," Webb said. "That is including 625 violations for speeding and six DUI arrests."
With a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and funding provided through the office of Supervisor Yaroslavsky, the CHP and Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's deputies will be able to patrol "24/7," he said. The CHP is planning to attend town meetings to get the word out.
Exhibition speeders like to "congregate here in the middle of nowhere. It's become a magnet," he said. "If you don't see a cruiser here now, there's a good chance there is one around the next corner."
However, the problem is not just safety. Noise plagues residents all night long. Vehicles that have large exhausts, cars that are lowered, supercharged and chipped are street racing and crossing double-yellow lines, burning out from a stop and pulling back on turns just before they run off the cliff. One resident, who did not wish to be identified, said these racers routinely rescue each other with their own equipment, towing cars up embankments and picking up wrecks.
Some area residents expressed gratitude for the increased patrols. They complimented law enforcement for their efforts.
In Malibu, Pacific Coast Highway is considered a main feeder for these forays into the mountains. The speeders and exhibition drivers tend to take the less popular routes, such as Tuna, Decker and Las Flores canyons into the mountains. Patrols will be extended to find the feeder routes, and Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers will be working overtime in the region.
"They will impound, jail and arrest offenders," Yaroslavsky said. "This is no joke."
"Exhibitionist speeders race in the Santa Monica Mountains, among the most dangerous roads in the county." Webb said.
As for safety on Pacific Coast Highway, law enforcement and county officials say their efforts will have a "collateral" effect on catching unsafe drivers who use the highway to get to the canyons. Also, six traffic signs that show how fast drivers are going on the highway were recently installed and enforcement is stepped up overall during summertime.
07-23-07 | 09:54 PM
#4
I am the stig.
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 614
Likes: 3
From: San Diego, CA
Oh good, so they're moving all of the patrol cars out into the middle of nowhere, where all the crime is? That makes a hell of alot of sense.
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07-24-07 | 06:10 PM
#10
decker was fun but it's really remote...the chances of colliding with another vehicle are way lower than on the freeway. if they have a deathwish, they should be able to die by themselves. or if they go in a group, they should be able to die together. i say keep the law enforcement on the major highways.
07-24-07 | 11:50 PM
#15
nothing new..... but i agree that they using too many of their resources on canyon racers... there were 60 deaths..ok, but how many murders were there, and im sure more attention is needed in the city rather than as they put it "remote areas"....
most of us pick the remote, vacant, away from society spots for a number of reasons....
1. safety... if nobody is on the road but us, we can only harm ourselves
2. seclusion.... we dont draw a crowd, we do what we love without spectators (who could get hurt if something goes wrong, which is a regular occurrance at GMR)
3.cops... again, if the area is very remote with no traffic, then there shouldnt be much of an issue.. sure beats a crowded freeway
4. timing.... when i go to the canyons with friends, its usually around 12am.... and its empty for miles..
they say they are gonna crack down on these empty roads... wow, now thats good policing! sure, pick on the people who are doing what they can to keep their hobby away from people..... i know its illegal, and i accept that.. i just dont see why they would send patrol cars through descolate areas isntead of focusing on more traffic areas
now say what you will, im not a ricer, i just enjoy spirited drives through the canyons... i dont and never will touge! too unsafe, i keep it at a limit i know i can control... i dont push it... but even what i do will get m into trouble with the cops.. and i accept that fact
most of us pick the remote, vacant, away from society spots for a number of reasons....
1. safety... if nobody is on the road but us, we can only harm ourselves
2. seclusion.... we dont draw a crowd, we do what we love without spectators (who could get hurt if something goes wrong, which is a regular occurrance at GMR)
3.cops... again, if the area is very remote with no traffic, then there shouldnt be much of an issue.. sure beats a crowded freeway
4. timing.... when i go to the canyons with friends, its usually around 12am.... and its empty for miles..
they say they are gonna crack down on these empty roads... wow, now thats good policing! sure, pick on the people who are doing what they can to keep their hobby away from people..... i know its illegal, and i accept that.. i just dont see why they would send patrol cars through descolate areas isntead of focusing on more traffic areas
now say what you will, im not a ricer, i just enjoy spirited drives through the canyons... i dont and never will touge! too unsafe, i keep it at a limit i know i can control... i dont push it... but even what i do will get m into trouble with the cops.. and i accept that fact
07-25-07 | 03:28 AM
#19
That totally sucks! My friends and I were orginally going to hit up that area last weekend but one of the guys had also noticed the recent increased presence of pigs out there so we decided to go somewhere else. Good call!
Someone on another forum reported it was a mess last weekend in Malibu. He ran into several patrol cars, speed traps, a modded Camaro cruiser and even ghetto birds!
Krispy Kream needs to have another buy 1 get 1 free campaign again soon.
Someone on another forum reported it was a mess last weekend in Malibu. He ran into several patrol cars, speed traps, a modded Camaro cruiser and even ghetto birds!
Krispy Kream needs to have another buy 1 get 1 free campaign again soon.
07-25-07 | 05:16 AM
#21
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: Temecula
I'm a canyon runner first and formost and this does suck, but not for the main reasons people will expect. On the whole we've seen an increase in the aggresive stance against nearly any kind of motorsport in my area of temecula/murrieta. Chaulk it up to population boom or what not but there are a LOT of people moving into this area
and they bring with them the ability to conplain. The low level politicians throughout these areas bend over backward to appease voter pools and then dither around in office until they do **** like this. Which accomplishes nothing but catches those already stupid enough to get caught and provide the concerned mothers that 'something has been done.' A large percentage of people also like to pull the "take it to the track" card. That simply does NOT work. Either of the nearby tracks are hours away from me, meaning I would have to drive my illegaly modified car there to the track OR have a tow vehicle to trailer it. Gas and upkeep for two vehicles > one. They make skate parks for kids,why not make drift lands like what's shown in the drift bible; the size of 1-3 parking lots paved with some aprons. I actually think it would be cheaper.
But nothing has changed. People are still going to race or break the law in automobilanic(:_p) ways. It was illegal and enforced then and it is now.
and they bring with them the ability to conplain. The low level politicians throughout these areas bend over backward to appease voter pools and then dither around in office until they do **** like this. Which accomplishes nothing but catches those already stupid enough to get caught and provide the concerned mothers that 'something has been done.' A large percentage of people also like to pull the "take it to the track" card. That simply does NOT work. Either of the nearby tracks are hours away from me, meaning I would have to drive my illegaly modified car there to the track OR have a tow vehicle to trailer it. Gas and upkeep for two vehicles > one. They make skate parks for kids,why not make drift lands like what's shown in the drift bible; the size of 1-3 parking lots paved with some aprons. I actually think it would be cheaper.
But nothing has changed. People are still going to race or break the law in automobilanic(:_p) ways. It was illegal and enforced then and it is now.
07-26-07 | 10:26 PM
#22
Caramelldansen
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,182
Likes: 0
From: SF Bay Area, California
1. safety... if nobody is on the road but us, we can only harm ourselves
2. seclusion.... we dont draw a crowd, we do what we love without spectators (who could get hurt if something goes wrong, which is a regular occurrance at GMR)
3.cops... again, if the area is very remote with no traffic, then there shouldnt be much of an issue.. sure beats a crowded freeway
4. timing.... when i go to the canyons with friends, its usually around 12am.... and its empty for miles..
2. seclusion.... we dont draw a crowd, we do what we love without spectators (who could get hurt if something goes wrong, which is a regular occurrance at GMR)
3.cops... again, if the area is very remote with no traffic, then there shouldnt be much of an issue.. sure beats a crowded freeway
4. timing.... when i go to the canyons with friends, its usually around 12am.... and its empty for miles..
Take it to a track.
07-27-07 | 01:55 AM
#23
rx7 killer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,895
Likes: 1
From: LOS ANGELES, HAWTHORNE
yeah but most of us cant afford a track day frequently.or occasionally....but the rush of being thousands of feet in the air with no guardrails is fun....and gives much adreline....oh welll repost...lol...hey **** it lets take a cruise to gmr...??
07-27-07 | 01:00 PM
#24
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 577
Likes: 0
From: CRAPAMOUNT
GMR is Burned Man ..i have never rode GMR ..
Turnbull canyon-BURNED- Cops busted my friends they all got State Raped...
Tracks are expensive what kind of guy has 150 everyday for track....not including the safety equipment ,gas , tires , extra parts , its a big hassle
Drift land we need one ... somewhere secluded
Turnbull canyon-BURNED- Cops busted my friends they all got State Raped...
Tracks are expensive what kind of guy has 150 everyday for track....not including the safety equipment ,gas , tires , extra parts , its a big hassle
Drift land we need one ... somewhere secluded
07-28-07 | 01:12 AM
#25
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 26
Likes: 1
i'm not about to start a flame war but it's totally acceptable to me. Because people drive and drift on these nice scenic routes I have to watch out for cops and they tail me for days even though i'm going the speed limit. I remember the good old days when the ricers stuck to industrial zones with wide open spaces so they could drag. Ever since the drifting **** started the nice roads are littered with cops. If you guys didn't make the cops feel the need to go supervise you then they'd be out there taking care of real crime.
I personally don't care if you go kill yourselves but when those of us that drive normally are caught in an accident or have to deal with cops because we drive the same car as you then I get pissed. Like I said, I'm not here to start **** but I honestly believe the majority of "Canyon Carvers/ Drifters" ruin it for the rest of us.
I personally don't care if you go kill yourselves but when those of us that drive normally are caught in an accident or have to deal with cops because we drive the same car as you then I get pissed. Like I said, I'm not here to start **** but I honestly believe the majority of "Canyon Carvers/ Drifters" ruin it for the rest of us.