Cars flying into a residential neighborhood and alongside kids walking to and from school aren't funny. They're a public safety matter.

Some time ago, LBREPORT.com columnist Les Robbins, who as a Councilman said there are few serious problems in Long Beach that aren't in some way related to public safety, wrote elsewhere that there's a fairly sure way to reduce speeding: a cop with a radar gun regularly writing tickets. Mr. Robbins credited the city's efforts to date but noted that Long Beach has fewer cops now, meaning fewer cops to write tickets that would teach that public safety lesson.

It speaks volumes that while some elected officials boast of budget "surpluses" [created in part by not providing previously provided taxpayer services], offer management raises and propose a new Taj Mahal Civic Center, a General Fund department of the city they govern has had to resort to using bike racks instead installing the type of serious remedy that public safety deserves: a properly landscaped speed-slowing street median.

This isn't about traffic engineering. It's about some sadly misplaced priorities on City Hall's 14th floor. Councilmembers didn't vote on the dinosaurs, but Council majorities did vote to approve Mayor-Manager budgets "balanced" on paper with unbalanced reductions in public safety levels. One is cops. Another is firefighter/paramedics. Now there's a third: traffic safety.

There is something wrong when a city agency has to resort to cannibalizing a bike rack in an effort to try and keep kids safe.

On Oct. 22, the Council will vote on management raises that a Council majority has already offered (behind closed doors) and advancing a Taj Mahal outsourced-for-private-profit-at-public-expense Civic Center sought by LB's incumbent Mayor, senior management and two downtown Councilmembers who want to be LB's next Mayor (Garcia and Lowenthal). In April 2014, Long Beach voters citywide will show whether they share those priorities.

Opinions expressed by LBREPORT.com, our contributors and/or our readers are not necessary those of our advertisers. We welcome our readers' comments/opinions 24/7 via Disqus, Facebook, plus moderate length letters and longer-form opinion pieces (op-eds) submitted to us at mail@LBReport.com.