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

TAC recommends lowering McDonald Road speed limit to 40 mph

The county's Traffic Advisory Committee recommended lowering the speed limit on McDonald Road from 45 mph to 40 mph.

A unanimous TAC vote Oct. 23 recommended that the San Diego County Board of Supervisors lower the speed limit on McDonald Road between Fallbrook Street and Pepper Tree Lane while retaining radar certification for that 1.0-mile segment. The county supervisors are expected to consider the speed limit reduction Feb. 10.

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.

The speed limit on McDonald Road had been 40 mph before 2006. The 2005 speed survey had an 85th percentile of 47.6 mph with 67% of drivers within a 39-48 mph pace; the community input was for a higher speed limit with radar enforcement, so the TAC recommended the 45 mph speed limit, and the Board of Supervisors raised the speed limit in 2006.

The 45 mph speed limit was retained in 2013 when a speed survey of 273 drivers 200 feet south of Gerald Way found an 85th percentile of 44.0 mph but with only 46.9% of drivers within the 10 mph pace of 34-43 mph.

McDonald Road is a two-lane roadway with centerline striping which prohibits passing. "It changes grade throughout," said DPW engineering technician Ben Baker.

Although the road continues south of Pepper Tree Lane, the striping for prevailing traffic is for southbound vehicles to turn left onto Pepper Tree. A 15 mph advisory sign precedes that curve.

The road is 24 feet in width. It is not classified on the mobility element of the county's general plan.

The lack of a mobility element classification was a factor in the TAC support for rounding down to 40 mph rather than rounding up and retaining the 45 mph speed limit. "This is a local roadway," said county traffic engineer Zoubir Ouadah. "It makes a lot of sense to lower it to 40."

A traffic survey was taken south of Gerald Way Oct. 6, 2020. The two-way volume of 2,299 vehicles consisted of 1,175 northbound and 1,124 southbound motorists. The heaviest hourly volumes were 216 drivers between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., 207 motorists from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 191 vehicles between noon and 1 p.m. The morning hour with the highest volume was 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. when 164 vehicles crossed the survey point.

The previous traffic surveys for McDonald Road were taken at Fallbrook Street. The two-way average daily volume was 2,280 vehicles in October 2012 and 1,830 drivers in 2007.

A speed survey was conducted 200 feet south of Gerald Way Sept. 28 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The 127 vehicles had an 85th percentile speed of 43.4 mph with 73 drivers, or 57.0%, within a 10 mph pace of 34-43 mph.

The fastest drivers were one at 57 mph and one at 55 mph. The slowest motorists were one driving at 25 mph and one traveling at 26 mph. The most frequent speed was 43 mph with 11 drivers while 10 vehicles apiece were clocked at 33 mph and 36 mph and nine motorists apiece crossed the survey point at 39 mph and 41 mph. The average speed was 38.5 mph and the 50th percentile was 38.1 mph.

During the 36-month period from June 1, 2017, to May 31, 2020, two collisions were reported along McDonald Road. That created a collision rate of 0.80 per million vehicle miles. The statewide average for similar suburban conventional roads two lanes or less with speeds under 55 mph is 1.32 collisions per million vehicle miles.

The collision at 7 a.m. May 8, 2019, was between Palomino Road and Pepper Tree Lane and was caused by improper turning. Unsafe speed caused a May 4, 2020, collision at the intersection of Gerald Way which occurred at 2:08 p.m. and resulted in one injury.

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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