Planners want safer roads before bike routes

The life of Army Spc. Chase J. Simmons will be remembered with a bridge named in his honor, and a wedding event center is one step closer to fruition based on actions taken by the Ramona Community Planning Group (RCPG) on Aug. 2.

Other items considered by RCPG members included a progress update on bicycle routes planned in the San Diego County Draft Active Transportation Plan, a proposed additional route connecting Hanson Lane to Warnock Drive to alleviate traffic congestion, and a congressional meeting to seek highway improvement funds for state Route 67.

Simmons was born on Sept. 7, 1993, and died March 2, 2017, from injuries caused by a crash in Lakeside 15 months earlier. Simmons, 23, had suffered a broken neck and brain damage after the vehicle he was driving was hit by a dump truck on state Route 67 near Posthill Road.

Before the collision, Simmons had been stationed in South Korea nearly two years as a behavioral health specialist. He was highly regarded for his work with soldiers suffering post traumatic stress disorder.

Chase’s parents, Keith and Vicki Simmons, attended the RCPG meeting in support of naming the bridge on San Vicente Road near Ramona High School and Grace Community Church in his memory.

“Chase loved this town,” said Vicki, a Ramona resident for 28 years. “It would be a huge honor to drive up San Vicente and look at his name. My brother built that bridge, which was his favorite uncle. It’s weird how everything came together.”

RCPG members unanimously approved the bridge naming 14-0 with member David Ross absent.

In a separate vote, RCPG members approved 13-1, with RCPG member Richard Tomlinson opposing, a recommendation to develop a Lavender and Olive wedding event center. The project would be located on 5-acre acres formerly used by Copper Meadows horse park at 633 Montecito Way. The equestrian themed venue would be available to rent seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Project Manager Lauren Schulte of Woodcrest Companies in Ramona said efforts are underway to address noise concerns with neighbors and improve access on the narrow Montecito Way. She said she has also applied for a horse stable permit for project owners, the Hoffos family.

The vote to approve the project as submitted included a waiver of the requirement to underground utilities at the site.

Also at the meeting, RCPG members had an opportunity to provide feedback on the county’s Draft Active Transportation Plan (ATP) even though the public comment period for the document ended July 13.

Robert Efird, land use/environmental planning manager at the county of San Diego, said county staff are moving forward with final revisions to the plan for creating pedestrian and bike friendly routes. However, the public can comment on the draft plan through Aug. 17. Comments can be sent to county Project Manager Everett Hauser at Everett.hauser@sdcounty.ca.gov or by calling him at 858-694-2412.

Information about the draft ATP, which outlines 88.72 miles of bike routes in Ramona and Barona, is available online at sandiegocounty,gov by searching Active Transportation Plan.

Efird said the plan identifies routes for any form of non-motorized mobility including pedestrian and bicycle facilities. It ties in with Live Well San Diego’s goals for building better communities by promoting health and safety, he said. He added that it also encourages people to thrive by giving them opportunities to engage in active transportation and is a step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The ATP is separate from the county’s Community Trails Master Plan but links the CTMP soft-surface trails with other on- and off-road active transportation facilities for a comprehensive network. The ATP is also tied to transit connections when possible.

The draft document incorporates multi-use paths for walkers, joggers and bikers; bike lanes designated with a stripe on the road; bike routes that separate bikes from autos; and separated bikeways with vertical separations such as poles.

“The county has bicycle facilities as part of the General Plan,” Efird said. “This plan updates what’s in the mobility element of the General Plan.”

Several RCPG members objected to placing funding priorities for pedestrian and bike routes ahead of road improvements in Ramona.

RCPG member Torry Brean described hazardous driving conditions on Gem Lane that is not getting enough safety consideration.

“I see people skid on their brakes because the county says it can’t get a turn lane in,” Brean said. “Nobody disagrees bike lanes are great but the war with bikes versus cars is frustrating when the bike routes are not being used and we’re not getting what we need.”

RCPG member Elio Noyas echoed similar sentiments by saying he’d like to see the money being used for pedestrian and bike paths go toward improving roads, since much of the funds for these improvements come from vehicles such as auto registrations.

RCPG member Donna Myers said she’s concerned that safety issues on heavily trafficked roads such as Warnock in her neighborhood aren’t being addressed in the draft ATP.

Chairman Dan Scherer said he’s discouraged that the RCPG is not making traction on having Caltrans investigate safety on state Route 67 from Cloudy Moon Drive to Rock House Road. A letter he received from Caltrans dated July 24 states the Highway Safety Monitoring Program has not identified this segment of state Route 67 for investigation.

“We present problems to the county regarding the issue of safety on the roads and they come back to us with ‘let’s build bike lanes,’” Scherer said. “The higher priority is safety issues with this group. If you say you can add these bike lanes in addition to making the roads safer, we would be behind it. If the choice is between safer roads and bike lanes, we choose safer roads.”

Efird said the draft ATP is not an either/or situation.

Hauser said funding sources have been identified for the proposed ATP projects.

The improvements may be paid for with a mix of TransNet sales tax revenue, transportation impact fees, and gas tax revenue. The county also pursues grant funding from the state Active Transportation Program, Highway Safety Improvement Program, Community Development Block Grants, and San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), which manages the TransNet Smart Growth Incentive Program and Active Transportation Grant Program. Private developers may also build out improvements as part of their projects’ frontage improvements or off-site mitigation requirements.

The draft ATP is set to be considered by the county Board of Supervisors this fall or winter.

In a separate item, RCPG members considered different options for creating routes to connect Hanson Lane to Warnock Drive. The intent is to alleviate traffic congestion in the vicinity of Hanson Lane. The group considered adding routes at Keyser Road, Equestrian Trail and Royal Vista.

“This is not an alternate to Ramona Street (extension),” Cooper said. “It was to add an additional circulation element.”

Issues raised with the Keyser Road option included grade differentials with Warnock and redundant circulation element near San Vicente Road. Concerns with Royal Vista included difficulty in obtaining easements on private road and creating a 90-degree turn.

RCPG members settled on Equestrian Trail, voting 13-1 to request the county do a General Plan amendment on Equestrian Trail from Dye Road to Boundary Avenue so that a feasibility study can be done in the future.

RCPG member Paul Stykel was opposed because he said there isn’t enough information at this point to move forward with a General Plan Amendment.

In an unrelated non-action item, RCPG members informally agreed to seek support from Congressman Duncan Hunter as the board pursues federal highway funds for state Route 67 improvements.

RCPG member Dan Summers said SR-67 is currently scheduled for highway upgrades in 32 years.

“It’s not a lack of funding, it’s a lack of priority,” Summers said. “We want to move up the priority list from 2050 to something more reasonable.”