Artesia : Signal Light Recommended

The Artesia City Council has unanimously approved an engineering study recommending that a traffic signal light be installed at 166th Street and Elaine Avenue where a 4-year-old girl was killed in July by a hit-and-run driver.

The proposal has been sent to the City of Norwalk for its action. Approval is needed by both cities because a portion of the intersection is located in each city. The cost of the project has not been determined, Artesia City Manager B. Eugene Romig said.

The Norwalk City Council previously approved putting two stop signs on 166th Street, at Clarkdale and Elaine avenues, after the traffic fatality. But the Artesia council denied the recommendation, which prompted scores of people to parade along 166th Street in protest.

While Artesia awaits approval by Norwalk, some residents asked the Artesia council to place a stop sign there. The request was denied because the engineering consultant’s report recommended against it.

“We would like a stop sign up until a signal goes up,” resident Linda Garcia told the council this week. But Artesia Mayor Dennis Fellows said, “Putting a stop sign there could create more of a problem, create more accidents,” according to the independent engineering study.