NEWPORT BEACH : Residents Seeking Decrease in Traffic

Residents of 15th Street in Newport Beach near the Costa Mesa border have asked Newport Beach officials to look into the traffic and high number of speeders in what they say was once a quiet residential area.

Newport Heights area residents are circulating a petition listing concerns about the traffic problem, which they believe is in part a result of speed bumps installed on neighboring 16th Street by Costa Mesa to slow traffic there.

“Over the past few years, the amount of traffic has increased, as well as the type of vehicular traffic,” states the petition. A copy of it was recently forwarded to Councilwoman Evelyn R. Hart, whose district includes that area. “We are asking the city to restore the Heights to its former quiet, safe, residential neighborhood (atmosphere).”

Residents are concerned about a number of traffic problems on 15th Street between Newport Boulevard and Irvine Avenue: the number of large, delivery-style trucks using the street as a thoroughfare, the speed of many drivers and the number of emergency vehicles using the street as an alternative to 16th Street.

Newport Heights Elementary School is nearby, and many parents are concerned about the safety of their children who walk or ride their bikes to the school.

The residents believe that the installation of speed bumps on 16th Street during the past year has diverted traffic to their street because commuters wish to avoid slowing for the bumps.

Both 16th and 15th streets can be sed as through streets between Newport Boulevard and Irvine Avenue, and there are numerous small streets joining 16th and 15th in that area.

The City Council referred the issue to city staff this week for further study, and the council hopes to review possible solutions next month.

Residents, however, have recommended their own solutions, which the city may consider during its study.

Residents suggest restricting the area only to residents who live there, prohibiting vehicles over three tons, erecting barricades to prevent people from using 15th Street as a shortcut or putting in speed bumps similar to those on 16th Street.