The Bird Rock traffic-calming plan will soon shift into high gear with construction of three additional roundabouts along La Jolla Boulevard beginning next January.
The two roundabouts that were opened on the strip at Colima and Midway Streets in October of 2005 have not posed a huge problem for motorists or pedestrians, according to Pam Wagner, chairwoman for the Bird Rock traffic task force, which is an advisory group that meets once a month and reports to the City Council.
“The task force is really excited to see this next phase break ground,” Wagner said. “It was a year ago July that we were awarded the grant but the administrative piece of processing has taken a year, so there is a sense of relief and anticipation.”
The new roundabouts will be at the intersections of La Jolla Boulevard and Forward Street, and at Bird Rock Avenue and Camino de la Costa.
The task force has begun planning for phase two of the project, which consists of developing plans to ensure traffic is not diverted to residential streets as a result of the roundabouts, as well as a traffic control plan to minimize the impact of upcoming construction on local merchants.
“We have not yet scheduled a meeting with the merchants on La Jolla Boulevard for the roundabouts, but intend on doing so within the next month or so,” Mike Arnold, associate engineer for the City’s Transportation Engineering department, said via e-mail. “Throughout the design process we have been working closely with Pam Wagner and other members of the Bird Rock Traffic Task Force Committee, and we have a good understanding of what is important to the local residents and businesses on La Jolla Boulevard in terms of the actual design improvements and minimizing disruptions during construction.”
A contractor will be appointed to the project by Jan. 20, and construction will begin shortly after that, Wagner said.
A past complaint from several business owners along the major artery was that the roundabouts were causing a decrease in overall traffic, which was resulting in a direct loss of business, according to Siavash Pazargadi, senior engineer with the City of San Diego.
A major goal of the traffic-calming project was to slow traffic in the area, protecting pedestrians and encouraging more people to stop into restaurants and shops along the boulevard.
A traffic survey of the alternate routes motorists could take to avoid La Jolla Boulevard was conducted, and officials concluded that nearby side streets were not receiving an influx of traffic, Pazargadi said.
Little concern has been voiced about increased accidents along the boulevard due to the roundabouts, according to Wagner. She’s heard of one accident involving a motorcyclist who was killed near the roundabouts about a month ago, but is not familiar with any other incidents, she said.
That accident was believed to be speed related, according to Sgt. Dick Colevin of San Diego Police northern division motorcycle squad. Colevin patrols the Bird Rock area and specifically La Jolla Boulevard.
“From my perspective, in law enforcement, they are perfect,” he said of the roundabouts. “They have completely eliminated all speeding issues we used to have on La Jolla Boulevard. We haven’t had any traffic related complaints on that stretch of roadway since those things have been put in, and that’s saying something because that used to be one of the biggest hot spots for speed.”
Wagner said she had not personally noticed a difference in traffic since the roundabouts had been put in and that public feedback had been generally positive.
Throughout the last year, the Bird Rock traffic task force and others involved in the project have received lots of public participation, according to Wagner.
As the project progresses, Wagner expects residents to become more involved and encourages motorists to be patient with construction that could potentially hold up traffic.
“Ultimately it’s going to make the community more pedestrian friendly and a better place for the merchants as well,” she said.
For more information about the project, visit www.birdrock.org.