Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

TAC recommends recertification of Brooke Road speed limit

The county’s Traffic Advisory Committee has recommended that the 45-mph speed limit on Brooke Road be recertified for radar enforcement.

The March 13 TAC recommendation sends the recertification to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, who are scheduled to review the speed limit June 24.

“The committee was comfortable with the measured speed and recertification,” TAC secretary Kenton Jones said.

In order for a speed limit to be enforceable by radar, a speed survey must show that the speed limit is within an adjacent 5 mph increment to the 85th percentile speed. Periodic recertification, including a supporting speed survey, is required for continued radar enforcement and the county’s Department of Public Works or a DPW contractor typically conducts speed surveys every seven years. The speed limit may be rounded either up or down from the 85th percentile speed. The speed limit may also be rounded down an additional 5 mph if findings are made that the road has conditions which would not be apparent to a motorist unfamiliar with the road.

Brooke Road covers 0.68 miles between Winter Haven Road and Stage Coach Lane. The two-lane through highway has a travel width of 24 feet and a road bed of 28 feet. Double yellow centerline striping designates that passing is prohibited while the road also has white edge line striping. Tractor advisory signs and intersection advisory signs are posted near the southern end of the roadway. Brooke Road is not classified in the mobility element of the county’s general plan.

Brooke Road south of Stage Coach Lane had an estimated two-way average daily traffic volume of 5,400 vehicles. The two-way traffic count in 2013 when the street was last recertified for radar enforcement was 2,800 vehicles. The average daily volumes at that location were 3,380 vehicles in November 2004 and 4,130 vehicles in May 1999.

Eight collisions along Brooke Road were reported during the 36-month period from Oct. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2019. Three of those collisions resulted in injury. The road’s collision rate of 2.00 per million vehicle miles exceeds the statewide average of 1.19 for similar suburban conventional two-lane roads with speed limits between 45 mph and 55 mph.

The speed survey for Brooke Road was taken 70 feet north of Rancho Mia. In 2006, the 85th percentile speed was 49.9 mph with 64.9% of the drivers within a 10-mph pace of 39-48 mph. The 201 motorists in the May 21, 2013, speed survey had an 85th percentile of 49.1 mph with 67.6% of drivers within a 40-49 mph pace.

The most recent speed survey was taken Feb. 20, 2020, between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and measured the speeds of 116 drivers. The 85th percentile was 49.5 mph with 70% of drivers within a 40-49 mph pace. The most common speeds were 40 mph and 42 mph with 12 drivers apiece, 43 mph with 11 drivers and 48 mph with nine drivers. Two motorists who crossed the survey point at 35 mph were the slowest while the fastest driver was traveling at 56 mph.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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