ORANGE : Changes Urged for Street Intersection

Most everyone agrees that there is something decidedly peculiar about the intersection of Rancho Santiago Boulevard and Bond Avenue.

But city officials and nearby residents can’t seem to agree on what to do about it.

The intersection, located in a quiet neighborhood in east Orange, has long been the subject of complaints from motorists and bicyclists who insist that the crossing is poorly designed and dangerous.

“This is the most (strangely) shaped intersection in Orange. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said resident Larry Pore, who spoke at a City Council meeting last week on behalf of more than two dozen people demanding changes to the intersection. “It causes problems for a lot of people.”

The crossing has these unusual features:

* Bond Avenue narrows from four lanes to two at the intersection, forcing eastbound motorists to merge into one lane.

* A crosswalk connects a sidewalk on one side of the street with a grassy area lacking a sidewalk on the other side. The crosswalk “leads to nothing,” Pore said.

* Curbs with wheelchair ramps are located at corners without crosswalks.

* A bike path along Rancho Santiago runs along the street south of Bond, then moves onto a special trail north of Bond.

* A small stop sign designed for bicyclists confuses some southbound Rancho Santiago drivers who wrongly slow down thinking that the sign is meant for them.

* And to make matters more complex, part of the intersection is within the city of Orange while another portion lies on unincorporated land.

For the residents, all the oddities add up to a major accident waiting to happen.

Their solution: Place a four-way stop sign at the corner, which would force all traffic to stop. Such an arrangement would slow motorists down and allow Bond Avenue traffic to cross the intersection more safely, they argued.

But city officials aren’t convinced yet.

A city traffic study of the area reported that about 4,700 cars pass through the intersection each day and that many drivers travel faster than the posted 35-m.p.h. limit. The report also found that two accidents at the crossing were reported in 1992.

But the study concluded that a four-way stop was not necessary. Rather, it recommended removing the bike-lane stop sign and creating two right-turn lanes to better direct traffic.

Last week, residents took their case to the City Council. The council delayed action on the matter, in part because a claim has been filed against the city by someone involved in an accident at the intersection.

Pore said the council probably would have approved the stop signs if not for the claim. He said he still expects the signs to be installed once the claim issue is settled.