Politics & Government

City Council Approves Valle Verde Road Stop Signs

The contentious issue that has been debated for more than three years comes to a close.

A longtime battle to install all-way stop signs at a Valle Verde Road intersection came to a close with the City Council approving the proposal by a 5-0 vote at Tuesday's meeting.

The approval, which concludes more than three years of debate, comes after a .

"What her tragic death did was revitalized the debate," said Deputy Mayor Jim Cunningham, who noted safety was most important. "Three of us on the council were not on the council in 2008."

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According to a city staff report, drivers will see a delay with the stop signs at the Valle Verde Road and Solera Way/Vinter Way intersection. After an analysis using the Level of Service (LOS) monitor with A being the most efficient, city staff concluded that the intersection will operate at an LOS B with an average delay of 14.2 seconds per vehicle during the peak hour of 8 to 9 a.m.

The study also shows "that the worst LOS approach and delay is the Solera Way approach, which will operate at LOS C, with a delay of 16.5 seconds per vehicle." The report also notes that the LOS ratings fall within the "acceptable standard for intersections."

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Additional reports by the city noted that 3,230 vehicles travel Valle Verde Road each day with 85 percent of the drivers driving at 38 mph while 3,400 vehicles travel daily on Solera Way, west of Valle Verde Road. The speed limit is 35 mph.

The approval of the stop signs came after numerous public comments with 80 people attending in support of the stop signs.

One speaker read a letter from the mother of a then 11-year-old Poway child who was injured in 2008 at the intersection. Now 15, her son remains "fearful" of safely crossing streets because of the accident, she wrote.

Greg Hulan, a Poway engineer, noted the various supporters of the stop signs, including the recommendation by the Traffic Safety Committee.

"We're not the experts, they are," he said. "That's very logical. Poway is known for its schools. Let's make it safe for our kids to get to school."

Bradley Campillo, 12, who spoke about the stop signs at the , reiterated his support.

"My friends and I are unable to go to the park or the pool because Valle Verde is too unsafe to cross," said Campillo, who also said it's the "exact spot where the elementary kids have to cross."

Another speaker said his daughter was in an accident at the intersection when she attempted to make a left turn. He said she suffered injuries and has a $9,000 bill to fix her car. A seventh-grader from was also vocal at the meeting. He said he "barely ever crosses the road" and is "never allowed to cross at the intersection."

Other organizers of the citizen's group effort said they've received 694 signatures in support of the stop signs.

The supporters present at the meeting were backed by correspondence to the city. According to the city, in one set of correspondence, nine were in favor and while another set of correspondence showed 11 were in favor of the stop signs.

However, despite the number of supporters for the stop signs, a number of people also showed opposition. In one set of correspondence to the city, five opposed and another set of correspondence showed 41 people opposed the stop signs.

In an email, Tom Sennhauser wrote that "The Council fairly considered the identical proposal three years ago and made the right decision. No applicable fact has changed in a direction to invalidate that decision." Sennhauser lists several reasons why the stop signs aren't needed and said that an "activist faction of the community of Vineland Hills will not be happy unless they can reduce traffic to a crawl all along Valle Verde Road."

In another email, Powegian Steve Ness wrote that the "latest proposal/consideration appears to be the urging of a select group of people desiring an all way stop at this location and attempting to exploit the tragic and unfortunate death of a pedestrian at a near intersection as motivation for furthering their cause."

Opposition was also present at the council meeting.

One speaker said the City Council made the correct decision in a March 2008 meeting when they rejected the proposal to install stop signs despite the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Committee. Another speaker said "the facts do not justify" the intersection having stop signs.

Councilman John Mullin commended all those who came to speak and said the motion to approve the stop signs was a "common sense approach."

Councilwoman Merrilee Boyack said she drove through the area on Tuesday and didn't feel safe making a left turn at the intersection.

"There's no way I was making a left turn off of Vinter," she said. "There is no way I would put my child at that crosswalk next to me."

The approval to install the signs comes after the and city staff. An estimated $2,000 will be spent for "striping costs" and another $800 for the signs. City Manager Penny Riley said they'll begin working on the stop signs Wednesday. Calming measures approved for the intersection more than three years ago will be built in February with two to three months expected for construction.

Check back with Poway Patch for another story on the City Council meeting that includes other agenda items including the proposed holiday ice skating rink.


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