Alvarado Street speed limit east of Stage Coach lowered to 30 mph

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The speed limit for Alvarado Street east of Stage Coach Lane has been lowered to 30 mph.

A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote Aug. 18 approved the introduction and first reading of the ordinance to lower the speed limit on the 1.22-mile segment of Alvarado Street between Stage Coach Lane and Live Oak Park Road from 35 mph, and the second reading and adoption passed on a 5-0 vote Sept. 1. The new speed limit will be enforceable Oct. 1.

The supervisors' action also certified the new speed limit for radar enforcement, recertified the 35 mph speed limit on Alvarado Street between Brandon Road and Stage Coach Lane for radar enforcement while relocating the western end of the speed zone from Vine Street to Brandon Road, and recertified the 40 mph speed limit on Fallbrook Street between Main Avenue and Stage Coach Lane for radar enforcement.

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 had been certified for radar enforcement, and a 20 mph advisory sign warns motorists of a curve.

An accident rate more than four times the statewide average for similar roads led to the findings of conditions not apparent to the motorist. 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.

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 edge line striping. A school crosswalk traverses Alvarado Street at Mercedes Road, and the intersection with Brandon Road has an all-way stop control. Alvarado Street between Vine Street and Brandon Road qualifies as a business district and has a 25 mph speed limit.

Fallbrook Street between Main Avenue and Stage Coach Lane is 1.36 miles. The two-lane divided through 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 county's Traffic Advisory Committee reviewed the three segments of Alvarado Street and the Fallbrook Street segment April 23 and unanimously recommended lowering the Alvarado Street speed limit east of State Coach Lane to 30 mph, recertifying the 35 mph speed limit between Brandon Street and Stage Coach Lane, moving the western end of the speed zone to from Vine Street to Brandon Road, and recertifying the Fallbrook Street speed limit.