Supervisors certify Gopher Canyon Road segment for radar enforcement

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors certified the 50 mph speed limit on Gopher Canyon Road between Old Highway 395 and Spa Havens Way for radar enforcement.

A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote Jan. 26 approved the first reading and introduction of the ordinance to certify that part of Gopher Canyon Road for radar enforcement while a 5-0 Board of Supervisors vote Feb. 9 approved the second reading and adoption. The ordinance will take effect March 11.

The action also recertified the 45 mph speed limit on Gopher Canyon Road from Spa Havens Way to East Vista Way, the 40 mph speed limit on Live Oak Park Road between East Mission Road and Gum Tree Lane, and the 35 mph speed limit on Live Oak Park Road from Gum Tree Lane to Reche Road.

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. 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. On Sept. 10, the county's Traffic Advisory Committee made findings of collision rates higher than the statewide average to recommend recertifying the existing Gopher Canyon Road and Live Oak Park Road speed limits for radar enforcement.

The TAC unanimously recommended retention and recertification of the 45 mph speed limit on Gopher Canyon Road from Spa Havens Way to East Vista Way, the 40 mph speed limit on Live Oak Park Road between East Mission Road and Gum Tree Lane, and the 35 mph speed limit on Live Oak Park Road from Gum Tree Lane to Reche Road while unanimously recommending certification of the 50 mph speed limit on Gopher Canyon Road between Old Highway 395 and Spa Havens Way.

Gopher Canyon Road is classified as a Major Road on the mobility element of the county's general plan. Gopher Canyon Road between Old Highway 395 and Spa Havens Way is 2.94 miles. A May 27, 2021, traffic survey 80 feet west of Margale Lane indicated an average daily volume of 15,935 vehicles. The traffic consisted of 8,105 eastbound and 7,820 westbound motorists.

The May 27, 2021, traffic survey taken 500 feet west of Little Gopher Canyon Road had an average daily volume of 15,835 motorists with 8,087 of those traveling eastbound and 7,748 driving westbound. The May 2013 traffic survey at that location indicated an average daily volume of 14,990 vehicles.

A May 26, 2021, speed survey was also taken 1,000 feet east of Rustic Canyon Road; the 611 drivers had an 85th percentile of 52.1 mph with 73% of drivers within a 44-53 mph pace. The speed zone 85th percentile was 50.2 mph.

The 43 reported collisions on Gopher Canyon Road between Spa Havens Way and East Vista Way between March 1, 2018, and Feb. 28, 2021, included 19 with injuries. The 1.34 collisions per million vehicle miles is in excess of the statewide average of 1.19 per million vehicle miles for similar roads.

The collisions included 19 either at the intersection of Gopher Canyon Road and Little Gopher Canyon Road or along the curve west of Little Gopher Canyon Road. That area accounted for nine of the injury collisions. The county's Department of Public Works has looked at road improvements to improve the safety of the curve segment but has not identified the necessary funding.

Unsafe speed was identified as the cause of 13 of the collisions along the curve, including six of the injury collisions. Four of the collisions, including two with an injury, were due to improper turning. Driving on the wrong side of the road caused the other two collisions, including one with an injury. Because retaining the existing 45 mph speed limit required findings, the collisions cannot be addressed by lowering the speed limit even further.

(Driving under the influence was the cause of six of the collisions along the segment, including two with one injury and one with three injuries, but none of those were along the sharper portions of the curve.)

Live Oak Park Road is a striped two-lane roadway which is not classified on the mobility element. Live Oak Park Road measures 1.42 miles between East Mission Road and Gum Tree Lane. The traffic survey was taken 100 feet north of Ridge Drive. The May 27, 2021, survey counted 1,029 northbound and 938 southbound vehicles for a total of 1,967. The previous survey at that location in December 2012 counted 2,590 motorists.

Live Oak Park Road from East Mission Road to Gum Tree Lane had 10 reported collisions between March 1, 2018, and Feb. 28, 2021, including three which involved injury. The collision rate of 3.28 per million vehicle miles is more than double the statewide average of 1.60 collisions per million vehicle miles for similar suburban conventional two-lane roads with speed limits under 45 mph. Two of the three injury collisions were caused by driving under the influence, and both of those injury collisions were in February 2021 and occurred between midnight and 3:15 a.m.

The Live Oak Park Road distance from Gum Tree Lane to Reche Road is 1.16 miles. The May 27, 2021, traffic count of 1,959 vehicles 860 feet south of Los Cerritos Lane reflects 983 southbound and 976 northbound motorists.

The only speed survey for Live Oak Park Road between Gum Tree Lane and Reche Road was taken 860 feet south of Los Cerritos Lane. The 2012 survey had an 85th percentile of 39.0 mph with 68.3% of drivers in a 28-37 mph pace. The May 27, 2021, survey counted 240 vehicles with an 85th percentile of 40.8 mph and 77% in a 32-41 mph pace.

Eight reported collisions, including three involving injury, produced a rate of 3.22 per million vehicles compared to the statewide average of 1.60 for similar roads.