San Diego's hazardous roadways (El Cajon, Poway: school, university, living)

[cityx]

What are some of the most hazardous roads you've encountered in San Diego? I'm mostly interested in poorly designed and configured roadways and not issues of disrepair.

Washington Street in University Heights/Hillcrest as you approach the 163 freeway entrance is one that comes to mind. The street is at a grade so if you're traveling westbound toward Cleveland Avenue and the 163 you encounter three signals. Because you're headed downhill the human eye will naturally focus on the signal thats the farthest away and disregard the other two until its right over you.. (hence all the honking and brake screeching I hear all the time). Speed is a contributing factor as the traffic is already accelerating at 50+ miles per hour ready to enter the freeway. Additionally, right before the freeway entrance we have two lanes to the left that allow you to continue on westbound Washington and two very narrow lanes on the right that allow you to enter the north or southbound 163. Unfortunately, you cannot see this split until its almost too late so I see a lot of last minute and unsafe lane changes from freaked out drivers who do not want to enter the freeway. Because of the challenges here wouldn't it be appropriate for the installation of a yellow flashing light before Cleveland Avenue with a sign that says "SLOW TRAFFIC AHEAD". There has to be a way to "calm" the traffic here because I've seen countless fender benders and even a few pedestrian vs. vehicle collisions.
Image below is a pedestrian vs vehicle accident at the entrance of the 163 and Pasco St over the weekend. One of several incidents that occur here with disturbing regularity.

[img=http://s5.postimage.org/vj5ulmjvn/accident.jpg]

[bloom]

University Ave west entrance to Washington St. (the big hill going down to Luchre Libre, Blue Water Grill, I-5, India St)

I think this is in plans to re-do

[Chapelo]

The on-ramp to the 805 North from the 52 West. The merge is in the same lane as the exit to Governor Drive, which gives you barely any time to get over, assuming someone lets you in.

Who's the genius traffic engineer that thought this was a great idea? I'd like to punch him.

The 805 already gets backed up in the morning because of heavy traffic to the Golden Triangle, and there are always big-rigs traveling in the far right lane, which makes it insanely difficult to get over. This causes the 52 West to get backed up all the way to the 163/15. There are just too many big-rigs and other large vehicles on that road.

[kettlepot]

Aldine Drive, east bound, up the hill towards Talmadge and El Cajon Boulevard. The accidents tend not to be serious because speeds are usually low, but for a residential road, it has reached the point of failure. Before the speed bumps, speeds were often clocked up to 35mph. After the speed bumps, speeds are almost always below 25mph. Still, the volumes on the road are just enormous for something as narrow (no shoulder, just a canyon wall and a gully), with poor sight lines (lots of twists, and rises and dips), and with cars entering, exiting, and making left turns (Monroe, 47th, Euclid). Some residents have to back out of driveways into the high flow of rush hour traffic.

I remember watching a planning commission meeting where a member of the Uptown community got up to speak about the narrowness of West University Avenue (two lanes) as it approaches the hill down to I-5, and its high traffic volumes (14k Average Daily Trips). Aldine is much more poorly designed with even worse ADTs.

I found these minutes online from a local planning group meeting in 2011, with City Traffic Engineer Gary Pence saying, "Mr. Pence explained that Aldine Drive currently carries 18,000 daily trips, which is far above what it was designed to carry. In fact, it would be difficult to find a road in San Diego that is more overloaded compared to its design specification."

[The Flying Dutchman]

G and F streets, as well as Front and 1st Aves. downtown. These are the roads to connect to the outgoing/incoming traffic to the I-94 and I-5 highways, respectively. Also of course, there is 10th and 11th Aves. for the 163.

Given DTSD's small size, that fact that we have 3 major highways basically bisecting our small 2 sq. mile downtown area is basically a really good way to cut up the city and divide it from itself.

I hate how, living downtown, I have to wait at crossings for cars coming off the freeways still travelling at freeways speeds. Where I live they are building a children's school that is basically located right at the bottom of the 94 offramp. I pray that some poor kid doesn't get hit by a car. The cops don't care about any of this of course. Everyone does it, and handing out tickets would probably be very unpopular politically.

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by The Flying Dutchman

I hate how, living downtown, I have to wait at crossings for cars coming off the freeways still travelling at freeways speeds. Where I live they are building a children's school that is basically located right at the bottom of the 94 offramp. I pray that some poor kid doesn't get hit by a car. The cops don't care about any of this of course. Everyone does it, and handing out tickets would probably be very unpopular politically.

I always slow down coming into downtown off the 94 which turns into F Street. I've never encountered any speed traps here but I worry that around the corner there will be a police waiting doing speed traps on 17th street hiding out behind the buidlings. But you are right, peeple don't start slowing down until about 16th or even 15th where there are stop lights.

But, the police sure love to do DUI check points going the other way on G Street onto the 94. They seem to be in this spot frequently.

How about the 163 Exit at Friars....? especially during Christmas season. I hate that exit and how the ramps are set up.

[AADAD]

From the 78 to the 15 South 7 lanes to cross to the HOV lane in rapid order.

[oddstray]

Getting off 163 southbound onto Clairmont Mesa Blvd heading east. You have one-quarter block to merge into traffic, and it's at the top of a blind hill so you don't get to preview what you're merging into. I simply refuse to use that exit ... I'll take the next exit and double back instead.

For pedestrians, crossing the I-15 bridge heading west at Ted Williams Parkway. That I-15 exit ramp needs "no turn on red" (it's currently "no turn on red M-F 3-6 PM".) The problem is, there's the bike path, a full-width shoulder, and two right-turn lanes. So drivers exiting I-15 northbound there cannot safely see oncoming traffic to do their right-turn-on-red until they've pulled out completely past the crosswalk. Problem is, none of them even slows at the crosswalk to see whether there is any pedestrian traffic. They just zoom right across ...

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Getting off 163 southbound onto Clairmont Mesa Blvd heading east. You have one-quarter block to merge into traffic, and it's at the top of a blind hill so you don't get to preview what you're merging into. I simply refuse to use that exit ... I'll take the next exit and double back instead.

For pedestrians, crossing the I-15 bridge heading west at Ted Williams Parkway. That I-15 exit ramp needs "no turn on red" (it's currently "no turn on red M-F 3-6 PM".) The problem is, there's the bike path, a full-width shoulder, and two right-turn lanes. So drivers exiting I-15 northbound there cannot safely see oncoming traffic to do their right-turn-on-red until they've pulled out completely past the crosswalk. Problem is, none of them even slows at the crosswalk to see whether there is any pedestrian traffic. They just zoom right across ...

Ya, that one is ugly. That intersection at Kearny Villa is impossible if you are on a bicycle too. The sensors don't work going N or S and the push buttons are on one side of the street! Plus, the lane has no bike lane so you get to mix in with cars as you funnel through. If you survive that you have to get over another lane to the right.

[armourereric]

CA 67 between Lakeside and Ramona, a big death trap. Fun fact: The traffic count between Scripps-Poway Parkway and Dye/Highland Valley road meet the FHA criteria for a 6 lane freeway, it's a 2 lane road with driveways. Last cost estimate I saw just to make it a 4 lane expressway was $400M, up form $220M 10 years earlier, plus an easy decades of environmentalist lawsuits.