Some Help Given Intersection; More Is Down the Road

Dear Street Smart:

When, oh when, are they going to install a traffic light at the intersection of Aliso Creek Road and Alicia Parkway in Laguna Niguel? During rush hour, myself and countless other commuters are subjected to a 10-minute (or more) wait at the current four-way stop sign.

Jeanne Henderson, Laguna Hills

Problems out there must have come to a head, because a similar letter came in from Laguna Niguel resident Fred Feldon, asking for the same thing: relief. Good news: Life should be easier now that the city has made some changes.

Feldon’s letter suggested that double left-turn lanes be painted from northbound Alicia Parkway to Aliso Creek Road, to relieve backups. The city has done this, and it appears to have helped.

“It was definitely an improvement,” said Ken Montgomery, Laguna Niguel’s director of public works.

Feldon also suggested that double right-turn lanes be painted from eastbound Aliso Creek Road to Alicia Parkway. However, Montgomery said there isn’t enough room to do so until the bridge where Aliso Creek Road crosses Aliso Creek has been expanded.

Meanwhile, how about those signals? Again, the bridge is a factor. Montgomery said there is no place to mount the signals until the bridge, just west of the intersection, is finished. Work will begin after the first of the year and should finish by August.

Feldon suggested that perhaps a temporary signal could be used. Unfortunately, those sorts of signals are typically used only for a few days and don’t allow for left-turns, which are obviously in big demand at that intersection, Montgomery said.

However, the City Council has asked that deputies provide traffic control at that intersection. Orange County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Joe Davis said that deputies are out there as needed, when available.

“You bet we’ll get out there,” Davis said. “I intentionally come to work that way so I can see what it’s like, so I have feel for what’s going on,” he said.

Unfortunately, other places in the city may also demand the attention of deputies. For example, they may be needed to keep speeds down at schools, Davis said. Also, many home burglar alarms tend to go off in the mornings, accidentally triggered by residents departing for work. That also draws away officers, Davis explained.

Montgomery said that a flagman will now used to augment the deputies if a police officer cannot provide traffic control.

It sounds like the changes may keep the cars moving, and if so, thanks are due to Montgomery for tackling the problem immediately after hearing from our two letter-writers.

Dear Street Smart:

Several years ago, there were improvements constructed to the drainage structure, ditch and adjoining roadway area along Irvine Avenue, adjacent to the Newport Beach Golf Course. Since that time, the unpaved ground area along the roadway has been without any ground cover, planting or paving. It is a very poor appearance for our community.

It is a bit unrealistic for any public body in this area to spend literally millions of taxpayer dollars, disrupt traffic and inconvenience the public for months on end, and thereafter be satisfied with improvements that satisfy utilitarian purposes only. The citizens are entitled to have a few dollars spent on beautification purposes also. No private developer could get away with it.

Please find out what can be done to have landscape improvements provided, so that this project will appear complete.

William Tells, Newport Beach

The county owns that area, and landscaping was never done because the road will be expanded at some undetermined future date, according to Roger Hohnbaum, manager of road programs for Orange County.

With funds tight and traffic high, the county chooses to direct its money toward improving roadways only.

“Typically, after a flood improvement or a road improvement, we will not landscape any remaining areas,” Hohnbaum said. He also said that the original area out there had dirt coverage before the improvements.

That’s the why of it. As for how it can be changed, the story is not encouraging. The county is not going to make improvements. If citizens in the area really want them, they could form a special landscaping district.

Your best bet may be to work with the city of Newport Beach on a solution. Hohnbaum said that the city may have interest in annexing that small sliver of unincorporated land. If so, Newport Beach might then decide to beautify the strip.

Also, even if the city doesn’t decide to annex the area, it may be inclined to beautify it anyway. Hohnbaum said the county would certainly discuss such an idea but that it would have to be contingent on the city promising to also maintain the area.

Looks like your best bet is to contact a City Council person, or maybe a county supervisor. Good luck!