Drivers accustomed to ignoring the 45 mph speed limit on the downhill grade of Sequoia Avenue south of Royal Avenue will have at least one more deterrent come October, thanks to a group of proactive residents.

The Simi Valley City Council decided Monday to install a stop sign at the intersection of Sequoia Avenue and Coastal Oak Drive and to step up traffic enforcement in the area in an attempt to reduce the speeds of vehicles traveling the popular thoroughfare. The measures were taken after residents living in homes backing up to the street came to the council for the second time in 10 months to voice their concerns.

Armed with stories of burning rubber, screeching tires and toppled walls, residents-nearly all of them members of the Madison County neighborhood HOA- suggested a variety of solutions for the problem of speeding and street racing on Sequoia.

And for now, as indicated by a loud round of applause after the council's 5-0 vote, it appears those residents see the new sign as a good first step.

"We're scared to death-so I'll take one stop sign," said resident Brian Kane, 51. "It's an initial step, but we'll be happy when we feel safe, when our neighbors whose walls and children are threatened are safe."

According to the city's traffic engineer, the intersection doesn't have sufficient traffic flow to meet the guidelines for a sign, but council members felt there was enough concern from residents to warrant one-at least on a trial basis.

"I live in this neighborhood, and I can lie in my bed at night and I can hear (the cars speeding by)," Councilmember Michelle Foster said.

"I'm in favor of the stop sign," said Mayor Paul Miller, "but it's not going to solve the problem of street racing. I think it's clear that the department needs to figure out when the times are that we are having the problems and make certain that we have officers out there to take enforcement action."

The issue originally came before the council in December 2005 after the driver of a speeding car lost control and slammed into a block well fence behind a home on King Palm Drive, which runs parallel to Sequoia Avenue. A similar accident occurred three weeks ago, only this time it was a speeding SUV that demolished a wall, littering another yard with heavy concrete bricks.

"If my children would have been in the backyard, there's no doubt in my mind that one of them would have been seriously injured or possibly killed," said Scott Weston, the owner of the home on King Palm Drive most recently affected. "Something really has to be done before something very serious happens."

Residents made it clear that it was not only the street racers, but also everyday drivers who are breaking the law on Sequoia.

"The speed up and down that street is ridiculous," Weston's neighbor said, adding, "These people are nuts. They're driving way too fast for the area."

In response to the residents' plea for more ticketing, Miller, a former police chief, told the neighbors to be careful what they wish for.

"From my years on the police department what I discovered many times was that when you do a traffic enforcement campaign, most of the citations were written to residents of the neighborhood," Miller said. "I think that's what we're going to find. People just do not pay attention and obey the law."

According to City Manager Mike Sedell, the new stop sign- and an accompanying crosswalk-will be in place sometime in the next 30 days.