Since the opening of Double Peak School, the City of San Marcos has taken an active approach to managing traffic safety in the area surrounding the school.
“Public safety and traffic management continues to be a top priority for the City of San Marcos—especially near our schools,” said City Manager Jack Griffin.
Traffic engineers are constantly evaluating conditions along S. Twin Oaks Valley Road and have proactively implemented various traffic warning and calming measures to reduce travel speeds and the possibility of speed-related collisions.
“Knowing Double Peak School is in a challenging location when it comes to traffic management, the city has made every effort to work with the San Marcos Unified School District and enhance overall safety by using several traffic calming strategies,” said the city’s Principal Traffic Engineer Nic Abboud.
Traffic calming strategies have included the reduction of the posted speed limit from 50 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour along the northbound approach to Double Peak School.
A new traffic signal control at the school’s driveway has been installed, together with the placement of a high-visibility crosswalk. Advanced warning signs and “prepare to stop” signage have also been placed at several locations in advance of the new traffic signal, school pedestrian crossing, and steep roadway grade.
The school zone limits for 25 miles-per hour speed have been extended. The city has installed flashing school warning signs to alert motorists of the slower speed zones.
To further encourage motorists to slow down, speed reduction bars have been placed across the lanes at decreasing intervals along the downhill approach to the school.
Motorists were also introduced to radar speed feedback signs that display a driver’s speed to help improve speed limit compliance. Traffic signal timing has also been improved to discourage red light running.
As traffic safety is driven by driver education, traffic engineering, and traffic enforcement, the city has worked in partnership with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to boost its speed enforcement in the area, especially during peak times.
In addition to these efforts, the city has prepared a “safe routes to school” plan that identifies the safest routes for students to follow when heading to or from the school campus. This plan has been provided to the school for implementation and parents are encouraged to share the recommended travel paths with their children.
But the city has not stopped there.
Hearing increased community concern over traffic speeds around the school and during times when children are using sidewalks, the City will retain a specialized consulting firm to evaluate innovative opportunities to address pedestrian mobility and safety issues.
Additional measures may include enhanced adoption and promotion of a “safe route to school” plan, alternative location(s) for sidewalks, implementation of additional travel speed reduction measures, and the feasibility of installing barriers or other means of protection and/or separation of pedestrians from vehicles.
While San Marcos works to evaluate these innovative opportunities, plans are already underway to install additional signage that will benefit both motorists and pedestrians. The new signs will use chevron-style arrows and raised pavement markers to alert motorist that a curve is ahead.
By partnering with the community and school district to educate parents, students and drivers along with enhanced engineering and enforcement, the city will continue working to ensure feedback provided about traffic safety issues in the area will be considered in the adoption of any new recommended solutions.
To learn more about traffic management in the city, visit www.san-marcos.net/TrafficManagement or contact the city’s traffic engineering division at (760) 744-1050. Residents can also receive email notifications about upcoming traffic alerts, city news and other programs by signing up at www.san-marcos.net/alert.
