I am a Pepperdine student who drives PCH on a regular basis. Why do police feel the need to shut down PCH at 8 p.m. on a Friday before a holiday when people are trying to reach LAX? Not only does it cause extreme traffic by taking PCH down to a one-lane road, DUI checkpoints use an obscenely large number of police officers (most of whom are not actually working). They rarely go beyond asking the driver to roll down a window.
Over the long weekend I was dropping my roommate off at the airport. Our drive should have taken 40 minutes but because of a DUI checkpoint it lasted well over 1? hours. We also witnessed a large number of policemen just standing around. When we reached the officer with our IDs ready, he simply waved us on. There was no questioning, not even a glance at our faces, let alone our identification.
We are paying at least 12 men to stand around while only two men are actually doing the work. This disruption is simply not necessary. I have to wonder how many lives these checkpoints save, especially since most people turn around at the first sign of one. With so many signs leading to the checkpoint, it is a wonder anybody goes through. If a sober person questions staying on the route, why would a drunk? PCH is a major highway. What is next? Shutting down the 101 or the 405?
Hannah Ehrig