By City Manager Ken Striplin
With students back in school – and families enjoying the last weeks of summer – safe, well-maintained roads matter more than ever. In the City of Santa Clarita, keeping streets in top condition is a year-round priority. Our Street Maintenance teams are out in the “Cone Zone” daily, repairing potholes and sidewalks, refreshing lane markings, clearing weeds and debris and responding to emergencies. Their work keeps traffic moving and neighborhoods safe – and it often happens just feet from live traffic.
Help protect our team by driving with extra care in and around work zones. Slow down when you see orange signs, cones, message boards or flashing amber lights. Merge early, give crews and equipment plenty of room and follow directions from flaggers – they’re there to guide you through changing traffic patterns. Reduced speed limits in work areas aren’t suggestions; they create a buffer that protects workers and gives you more time to react.
Distraction-free driving is essential. Set your navigation before you start the car, keep your phone out of reach and avoid multitasking behind the wheel. A single second of inattention is all it takes to miss a flagger’s signal, a lane shift or a child stepping into a crosswalk.
As you travel around town, you may also encounter first responders heading to emergencies. When you see red or blue lights and hear sirens approaching from behind, pull to the right and stop so that emergency vehicles can safely pass. Do not stop in an intersection; continue through and then pull over. When emergency, tow or maintenance vehicles are stopped on the shoulder with flashing lights, California’s Move Over law requires drivers to move over a lane when safe, or slow down significantly. The same courtesy and caution can also protect our City crews working roadside.
Late summer and early fall can bring sudden showers that make roads slick, reveal new potholes and wash debris onto travel lanes. In wet weather, reduce speed, increase your following distance and avoid hard braking. Give yourself extra time to navigate work zones and school drop-off areas, and never drive around a closed road or past a barricade.
Remember: the people in hard hats and high-visibility vests are our neighbors – parents, sons, daughters and friends – who want to finish their shifts and get home safely. Your patience, your decision to put the phone away and your willingness to slow down through work areas make a real difference.
As we turn the page from summer to fall, let’s commit to simple habits that keep everyone safe: drive distraction-free, obey work-zone signs and pull to the right for lights and sirens. Together, we can keep Santa Clarita’s roads safe, smooth and ready for the season ahead.
Ken Striplin is the City Manager for the City of Santa Clarita and can be reached at kstriplin@SantaClarita.gov.
