Today’s newsletter is presented by Emiliano’s Mexican Restaurant.
Hello, Navajo and College Area!
For some reason at Lake Murray Park, unbeknownst to me, Golfcrest Drive in San Carlos turns into Murray Park Drive. I drive this way to avoid the traffic on Navajo, plus the views are pretty amazing.
The other day I was driving and noticed some unfamiliar yard signs across from the park. The yard signs were not the old “Save Del Cerro” signs I had seen scattered on some yards in opposition to the All People’s Church in Del Cerro. These were new.
I stopped to get a closer look.
The sign was new and it read, “Protect Our Kids Near Lake Murray: Support Traffic Calming Measures.”
I had heard residents were trying to get the city to address traffic near Lake Murray Park. This was confirmation they were taking action. In my opinion, for good reason.
After all, I am not the only person who prefers to bypass traffic on Navajo Road for the more scenic route into Del Cerro and to I-8. With the hills, I too have found myself going over the 30 miles per hour speed limit.
Unlike some others, I immediately slow down. I remember taking my kids to the park when they were young, and I remember the worry on my wife’s face and the faces of other moms as they tried to get their kids in and out of the car. The road is narrow. There are young kids, other pedestrians and not to mention the cars, some speeding, that occupy the road. Traffic is fairly heavy at the park due to the Little League and Softball fields next to it —plus easy access to Lake Murray.
In addition to what can be a hectic area, residents in San Carlos, as my family is, are still floored by Andrew Olsen’s death nearly a year ago. He was hit while walking to Pershing Middle School, just two miles away from Lake Murray Park.
After seeing the yard signs, I found the online petition urging the city to implement some traffic calming on Murray Lake Drive.
It turns out, residents were at this much longer than I was aware of.
“For over a year, neighborhood residents have worked with the City of San Diego and Council District 7 to advocate for safety improvements at this location. Despite repeated requests and documented concerns and frightening incidents, our community continues to be told that traffic-calming measures are not warranted,” reads the online petition, which now has 980 signatures.
“Children should not have to navigate speeding traffic to get to a baseball game, softball practice, playground, or family outing at Lake Murray. Residents have also raised concerns about limited visibility, heavy pedestrian activity, and the growing risk of serious injury. Our community should not have to wait for a fatality before preventative action is taken,” the petition states.
Now, I’m no traffic engineer. And, despite covering the city and having written more than my share of traffic calming efforts in the past — I don’t really know the metrics needed to justify speed humps or stop signs. But when a community puts it the way the petition reads, it seems maybe some metrics should go by the wayside.
Dorian Hargrove
Mission Times newsletter host
Navajo, College Area story spotlight
New lower speed limits rolling out with student safety to and from school a priority for city and district officials
By Drew Sitton • Times of San Diego
“There’s a lot to implement in the plan,” said a city spokesperson. “We think school zones are most important to implement first.”
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