Council to Weigh La Tuna Canyon Truck Ban

After paying nearly $3 million to settle four lawsuits, the Los Angeles City Council will decide today whether to ban heavy trucks from a dangerous stretch of La Tuna Canyon Road.

The council will vote on a motion by Councilman Joel Wachs that calls for an ordinance barring trucks in excess of 6,000 pounds from a section of the road stretching from the Foothill Freeway in the east to Sunland Boulevard in the west.

“We are looking at all types of creative solutions to solve the problems out there,” said Arline DeSanctis, chief field deputy for Wachs. “It’s really a substandard road.”

In March, the council agreed to pay $1.2 million to a 28-year-old Glendale woman who suffered brain damage as a result of an accident that was blamed on faulty drainage on La Tuna Canyon Road. Since 1979, the city has paid a total of $2.8 million to settle four wrongful-death lawsuits stemming from automobile accidents in the canyon.

“We know that a lot of the accidents have to do with speed,” DeSanctis said. “But when it rains the water comes out of the canyon, and brings with it mud and debris that make conditions dangerous.”

In the past year, the city has spent $245,000 to improve drainage and reconstruct and resurface portions of the road, DeSanctis said. A report from the council’s transportation committee notes that the city has received numerous complaints from canyon residents angered by truck traffic on the road.

By closing the road to the heaviest trucks, the city will improve the quality of life of area residents and increase safety by reducing wear and tear on the asphalt, the report said.

“Large trucks adversely impact residents and their property by causing excessive noise, pollution and severe vibration,” the report reads. “In addition, the weight of these vehicles causes serious deterioration of the pavement in the residential areas.”