Public Safety
Compton installs rubber medians to deter street takeovers
Barriers at nearly two dozen intersections reduce the open pavement available for dangerous stunts; the city plans about 23 additional locations this year.
Compton is using low rubber medians as a street-design response to illegal street takeovers, NBC Los Angeles reported September 28. The barriers have been installed at nearly two dozen intersections, including Center Street and Alondra Boulevard, where tire marks showed the location had been used for vehicle stunts.
What it means locally
City engineer Jack Gong told NBC4 that the medians change intersection geometry so drivers do not have enough open space to spin vehicles in circles. Street Maintenance Supervisor James Sanders said the bumps also discourage drivers from crossing them at high speed because of the risk of damaging a vehicle. Installations began last year, and the city is considering about 23 more intersections this year. Officials and one nearby resident reported encouraging early feedback, but the city has not released a formal effectiveness study. The accompanying photograph is an archival U.S. Army Air Forces aerial view of Compton created sometime between 1917 and 1964; it is not an image of the current medians or a street takeover.
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