Supervisors opt against Camino del Rey parking ban

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has ratified a county Traffic Advisory Committee recommendation not to establish a parking prohibition on Camino Del Rey.

The TAC made the recommendation against the parking ban on February 1, and the supervisors’ concurring vote occurred April 9. Had the supervisors reversed the TAC recommendation, the parking ban would have covered both sides of the road from Via Maria Elena to 650 feet east of Via Maria Elena.

The TAC reviews requests by citizens for changes in regulatory controls, and the request for a parking prohibition was based on the desire to eliminate overflow parking from the weekend events of a nearby church. The TAC, however, found that no operating conditions of the roadway were negatively impacted by the overflow parking.

Camino del Rey measures 28 feet wide in the vicinity of Via Maria Elena with speed limits of 45 and 50 mph. A February 2006 traffic survey west of Old River Road indicated a two-way average daily traffic volume of 9,490 vehicles. No collisions involving parked vehicles were reported during the five-year period of July 30, 2002, to July 30, 2007.

Although the TAC tends not to establish regulatory controls when no traffic engineering issues are documented, the parking prohibition can also be pursued as a “quality of life” matter. If an agreement between all adjacent property owners and the Bonsall Community Sponsor Group supports the parking ban, it can be established under Department of Public Works guidelines related to “quality of life” issues.