TAC recommends lower Alvarado Street speed limit east of Stage Coach

The county's Traffic Advisory Committee has recommended that the speed limit on Alvarado Street east of Stage Coach Lane be reduced.

The speed limit for the 1.22-mile segment of Alvarado Street between Stage Coach Lane and Live Oak Park Road is currently 35 mph. Due to an accident rate more than four times the statewide average for similar roads, the TAC recommended that the speed limit be lowered to 30 mph.

"In my mind there are several elements why the committee should be considering the 30 mph, and the big one is the collision rate," said county traffic engineer Zoubir Ouadah. "We should be very comfortable using the 5 mph downgrade."

The April 23 TAC meeting included the review of two segments of Alvarado Street. The potential radar recertification of the 35 mph speed limit between Vine Street and Stage Coach Lane included moving the western end of the speed zone to Brandon Road and recommending recertification of the 35 mph speed limit between Brandon Road and Stage Coach Lane.

Alvarado Street between Vine Street and Brandon Road qualifies as a business district and has a 25 mph speed limit, and the TAC recommended retaining the business district designation and the 25 mph speed limit.

The TAC also recommended retaining the 40 mph speed limit on Fallbrook Street between Main Avenue and Stage Coach Lane.

All three TAC recommendations were unanimous. Because San Diego County Board of Supervisors approval is needed for any regulatory changes and to recertify a speed limit for radar enforcement, the speed limit recommendations as well as the radar recertifications must be ratified by the Board of Supervisors. The county supervisors are expected to hear the Alvarado Street and Fallbrook Street speed limits Aug. 18.

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. If speed surveys are taken at more than one location along a reviewed segment a "speed zone" for the entirety of the speed surveys can be used.

Alvarado Street between Stage Coach Lane and Live Oak Park Road is a two-lane through highway with a 24-foot travel width, a road bed width ranging from 24 to 28 feet, a no passing center line, and white edge line striping. Alvarado Street east of Stage Coach Lane is not classified on the mobility element of the county's general plan. The 35 mph speed limit is certified for radar enforcement, and a 20 mph advisory sign warns motorists of a curve.

An Oct. 8, 2020, traffic survey taken 100 feet west of Emilia Lane counted 679 eastbound vehicles and 660 westbound motorists for a total average daily volume of 1,339 vehicles. A Feb. 16, 2021, speed survey 100 feet west of Emilia Lane clocked 161 vehicles; the 85th percentile speed was 36.0 mph with 79% of the drivers within a 10 mph pace of 28-37 mph. A Feb. 16 speed survey was also taken 175 feet west of Orvil Way and included 169 drivers with an 85th percentile of 36.9 mph and a 10 mph pace of 28-37 mph driven by 75% of the motorists. The speed zone for Alvarado Street east of Stage Coach Lane was 36.5 mph with 77% of drivers in a 28-37 mph pace.

The statewide average for similar suburban conventional two-lane roads with speed limits under 45 mph is 1.60 collisions per million vehicle miles. During the 36-month period from Dec. 1, 2017, to Nov. 30, 2020, Alvarado Street between Stage Coach Lane and Live Oak Park Road had 12 reported accidents including three which involved injury. The collisions produced a rate of 6.72 collisions per million vehicle miles.

Five of those collisions were attributed to driving under the influence. Four were attributed to improper turning, although the speed of vehicles was not noted in the accident history report. Unsafe speed was responsible for two of the collisions. The other collision was caused by a driver being on the wrong side of the road.

"You probably can't drive 35 on some of these curves safely," said Matt Wellhouse, who is the TAC's public member for the Third and Fifth Supervisorial Districts. "With a slower speed limit, I think that's more realistic."

Ouadah noted that the lower the speed the more likely the driver is to be able to lower his or her vehicle to 20 mph when the curve approaches.

Alvarado Street between Vine Street and Stage Coach Lane is classified as a Light Collector on the mobility element. The two-lane road ranges in width from 24 to 54 feet and has a no passing center line and intermittent white edgeline striping. A school crosswalk traverses Alvarado Street at Mercedes Road, and the intersection with Brandon Road has an all-way stop control.

An Oct. 8, 2020, traffic survey was taken 240 feet east of Ellis Lane. The 4,319 total vehicles consisted of 2,181 westbound and 2,138 eastbound drivers. The higher traffic volume west of Stage Coach Lane created a lower accident rate than the eastern portion of the road; between Dec. 1, 2017, and Nov. 30, 2020, the 13 collisions including three with at least one injury produced a collision rate of 2.09 per million vehicle miles compared to the statewide average of 1.60 per million vehicle miles.

The speed surveys for Alvarado Street west of Stage Coach Lane were taken on February 16, 2021. The one 300 feet west of Potter Street had 274 vehicles whose 85th percentile was 36.8 mph, and 73.0 percent of the drivers were within a 28-37 mph pace. The 228 drivers in the speed survey at Shelby Lane had an 85th percentile of 42.3 mph with 66 percent in a 31-40 mph pace. The speed zone 85th percentile was 39.6 mph with 69.5 percent of drivers in a 30-39 mph pace.

Fallbrook Street between Main Avenue and Stage Coach Lane is 1.36 miles. The two-lane divided highway has a travel width of 24 to 32 feet and a road bed width of 44 to 55 feet. The roadway has a two-way left-turn lane. A 25 mph speed zone exists near the Fallbrook Senior Center. The intersection with Heald Lane and Magarian Road has a traffic signal. Fallbrook Street is a Light Collector on the mobility element.

The Oct. 8, 2020, traffic survey east of McDonald Road indicated 6,285 westbound and 5,943 eastbound drivers for an average daily volume of 12,228 motorists. The period of Dec. 1, 2017, to Nov. 30, 2020, included 33 reported collisions with nine of those causing at least one injury. The 1.80 per million vehicle miles collision rate is slightly higher than the statewide average of 1.60 per million vehicle miles.

A Feb. 16, 2021, speed survey at Village View Place counted 377 vehicles whose 85th percentile speed was 43.2 mph with 73.0 percent of the drivers being within a 35-44 mph pace. On Feb. 18 a speed survey was taken at Las Ramblas and measured 376 drivers whose 85th percentile speed was 44.8 mph, and 79.0 percent of drivers were within a 37-46 mph pace. The speed zone had an 85th percentile of 44.0 mph with 76.0 percent of drivers in a 36-45 mph pace.