Tag: Traffic

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Civic affairs Safety Signs

Speed limit reduction ceremony

City officials came to Canyon Palms on April 8 to celebrate the reduction of speed limits on 36 street segments in Palm Springs.

Mayor Lisa Middleton and State Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, the author of Assembly Bill AB43, explained that the new state law gave cities the authority to reduce speed limits to prevent traffic and pedestrian fatalities and injuries.

They unveiled a new speed limit sign near the corner of La Verne Way and Toledo Avenue. Also attending were the city manager, police and fire chiefs, and officials of ONE-PS and Canyon Palms, which had both made the speed limit reductions a priority. In 2021, Palm Springs had 1,500 traffic collisions resulting in 450 injuries and 16 deaths. That fatality rate was disproportionate to the city’s population and up from an average of nine killed each year since 2013.

In our neighborhood, Toledo Avenue’s speed limit has been reduced from 45 to 40. The higher limit was a result of state law formerly basing limits on traffic engineers determining the speed at which 85 percent of cars travel on a roadway. So roads that speeding made more dangerous automatically got higher speed limits, increasing the risk of fatalities.

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Civic affairs Safety Signs

Traffic safety breakthrough celebration

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Code enforcement/public works Safety Signs

Nearby street safety

The city has rejected a proposal to add crosswalks on La Verne Way and Caliente Drive as unwarranted. An engineering study monitored traffic from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 and found 75 pedestrians attempting to cross in various directions, including 23 pedestrians crossing La Verne. The Canyon Palms Neighborhood Organization had formally requested a traffic calming solution on June 1. CPNO’s suggested solutions were addition of two high-visibility crosswalks across La Verne west of Caliente and across Caliente on the south side of La Verne, new signage to alert approaching vehicles of the crosswalks, and increased use of neighborhood speed awareness signs, radar speed display units, and targeted police enforcement of current speed limits.

The distance on La Verne Way from the crosswalk at Camino Real to the new crosswalk at Toledo Ave. is about a half-mile. This distance makes it hard for pedestrians to cross safely between Canyon Palms and Twin Palms. Cars and trucks regularly exceed the 40 mph speed limit on La Verne. The city would need property owners’ permission to install radar units that provide visual feedback of vehicle speeds.

With the volunteer help of a lawyer in our neighborhood, CPNO recently obtained the engineering study and related documents. The study included maps showing the obtuse angle of the intersection and a note saying it was “not ideal” for crosswalks. But it appears the crosswalks were deemed unwarranted because the study found a low volume of pedestrians, given the lack of nearby retail, schools or parks. The city also looks at accident data. Of course, there is no way to count any incidents in which pedestrians barely escape being hit. CPNO board members said they would continue to seek solutions before someone gets hit by a vehicle.

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Civic affairs Code enforcement/public works Safety

Code enforcement meeting

The ONE-PS Code Enforcement and Public Works Committee is holding a public meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, May 5, at 10 a.m. Among the topics to be discussed: 

  1. Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Middleton will speak about Assembly Bill 43, Traffic Safety, which would provide more flexibility to local governments in calculating speed limits on roads, and a City Council staff report dated March 25, 2021 regarding formal adoption of an official resolution by the City in support of this legislation at the state level.
  1. Discussion of the code enforcement process by the co-chair of the ONE-PS Code Enforcement and Public Works Committee.
  1. Updates on traffic calming projects, other traffic-related projects, and city building projects by the City’s Engineering Services. (Two approved traffic calming projects in our neighborhood are an all-way stop at La Verne Way and Toledo Avenue and upgrading the stop signs on Toledo Avenue at Maricopa to solar powered LED signs, with a new curb ramp on the north side of Toledo Avenue, and the addition of a two-leg continental style crosswalk.)

To view, listen or participate in the meeting, use the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85929254806?pwd=RDVFdlF1azJNTWZCeUxGL0ZxcTdGUT09,
Or dial in and use Zoom Meeting ID 859 2925 4806, Passcode 019014

Categories
Code enforcement/public works Safety

Traffic calming project update

The city has a webpage with updated information about projects to improve pedestrian safety through traffic calming. The projects include:

  • An all-way stop at La Verne Way and Toledo Avenue.
  • Upgrading the crosswalk street markings on Toledo Avenue at Maricopa, with a new curb ramp on the north side of Toledo Avenue. (This description has been corrected since it was originally posted in April.)

Click this link: Citywide Traffic Calming Projects | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov) to see what those planned projects and several others will look like. The Canyon Palms Neighborhood Organization would like to thank Joel Montalvo, Francisco Jaime and Donn Uleyo with the city Engineering Services for keeping us in the loop.

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Civic affairs Safety

Virtual Walk Audit

Do you believe that pedestrian safety in our community has room for improvement? Have you wanted to share your concerns? Here’s your best chance.

The Palm Springs Pedestrian and Safe Routes to School Plan Community Outreach Team is holding five Virtual Walk Audits. The sessions will help the city compete for transportation funds to improve pedestrian safety and neighborhood walkability.

Our neighborhood would be part of the District 5 Virtual Walk Audit, to be held with Mayor Pro Tem and our Councilmember Lisa Middleton on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, from 4-5:30 pm. Any one who would like to participate can register at http://bit.ly/PS_District5

Virtual Walk Audit FlyerDownload
Categories
Civic affairs Safety

City approves stop signs and crosswalk

The City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 28 to approve new traffic controls that will benefit pedestrian and bicycle safety in our neighborhood:

  • An all-way stop at La Verne Way and Toledo Avenue.
  • Upgrading the stop signs on Toledo Avenue at Maricopa to solar powered LED signs, with a new curb ramp on the north side of Toledo Avenue, and the addition of a 2 leg continental style crosswalk.

The Council voted 5-0 to accept a staff report that also will establish all-way stops at South Palm Canyon Drive and La Verne Way and at Murray Canyon Drive.

Prior to the vote, Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Middleton praised the neighborhood organizations for helping to get public input, as we did with an online questionnaire and two Zoom meetings. In response to our concerns, she asked that the City Engineers look at whether the intersection of Toledo Avenue and La Verne Way can be better marked to show motorists where the bike lane on Toledo gives way to traffic making a right turn. Our board of directors thanks Councilmember Middleton for her outreach to our neighborhood and for moving these changes through so expeditiously.

To see a video recording of the discussion and the vote, fast-forward to the 58:58 timestamp here: (28) City Council Meeting | January 28th, 2021 – YouTube.

Categories
Code enforcement/public works Safety

Street crossing improvements proposed

The City Council on Jan. 28 will consider changes to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in South Palm Springs, including two in our neighborhood:

  • A three-way stop at La Verne and Toledo, with marked/highlighted crosswalks  
  • Marked/highlighted crosswalks at Toledo and Maricopa

(Marked/highlighted crosswalks were recently installed at East Palm Canyon and Deepwell in front of Elmer’s.)

Our district council member, Lisa Middleton, told us, “I know that there are concerns about other problematic traffic, pedestrian and cycling chokepoints in South Palm Springs. These are not the only improvements that will be considered.”  

The staff report on these proposed changes will be posted on the city’s website. We suggest you familiarize yourself with the report if you wish to submit a comment or ask to speak at the virtual public council meeting.

Categories
Code enforcement/public works Safety

Your street safety

The Canyon Palms Neighborhood Organization (CPNO) aims to facilitate communication between our residents and the City. We’ve created a short questionnaire to better understand your concerns and suggestions regarding traffic-related issues. This is a first step in our efforts to engage with the City on these topics in what we expect to be an ongoing dialog with numerous opportunities for idea exchange and feedback. Let’s get started!

Please answer several questions about local traffic by clicking this link.