Long Beach Police Department issues 900 tickets in two months

In a span of less than two months, the Long Beach Police Department has issued nearly 900 traffic tickets at the intersection of Long Beach Boulevard and Park Avenue, according to the department.

"It's been an incredibly eye-opening experience to see how many people are violating traffic laws at that intersection," said Lt. Jim McCormack, commanding officer of the LBPD traffic division. Officers on motorcycles have been perched at the intersection since April 6, after McCormack determined that there were more accidents there than at any other intersection in the city. "We decided to concentrate on that [intersection] in an effort to reduce some of the accidents," he said.

In each of the past three years, there have been approximately 1,000 traffic accidents in the city.

From April 6 to May 29, 212 tickets were issued to drivers using cell phones, and 187 were for running red lights. There were 53 for turning violations, more than 40 were for seatbelt violations and 20 for speeding. The rest were issued for other miscellaneous offenses.

Asked why the intersection is dangerous, McCormack said, "It's just a lot of traffic going through that area, a lot of people going fast, a combination of things."

Resident Ellen Kramer said that while she was pumping gas three weeks ago at the Mobil station at the corner, she watched police pull over three motorists. From her vantage point, she could see that the drivers were using cell phones.

Kramer admitted that she is on the fence about the intense enforcement. "As a resident, I do feel that this time of year we do get an influx of tourists that just take advantage, and I think it's good for that reason," she said.

She added that motorists who are distracted while they drive, whether texting or using a cell phone, create a dangerous situation for children coming home from school. She said she wondered, though, whether pulling people over in such numbers at that intersection was a bit too harsh.