Topanga, Illuminated

Add this to the reasons to love Topanga Canyon: At a time when neighborhoods across Southern California practically have to beg to get a stoplight, the mountain hamlet sticks true to its contrarian reputation and is practically begging to keep one out.

Only in Topanga.

According to the precise mathematical equations that dictate such things, the traffic light at Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Topanga School Road is necessary to make the roads safer and more efficient. But according to the fluid social equations that dictate life in Topanga, the light is a precursor to development and traffic and the laundry list of other ills associated with flatland living.

Stepping into the debate over the merits of the traffic light would hardly be a prudent course--and one The Times is unwilling to take. After all, the light is already under construction and no amount of hard data or soft impressions are likely to dissuade advocates from their respective positions. But it’s worth praising the citizen activists of Topanga for their refusal to take yes for an answer. Standing up to one of the most impenetrable bureaucracies in the state--the Department of Transportation--they won impressive concessions.

For instance, the light will operate on a stop-and-go sequence only during school hours. The rest of the time, it will just flash. And in the summer, the only traffic light in Topanga may be hooded, taken out of operation entirely.

Only in Topanga.