YORBA LINDA : Brooklyn Avenue Traffic Plan Before Council

A plan to reduce the speed and the number of motorists on Brooklyn Avenue, which has become a bypass around congested Imperial Highway, will be considered today by the City Council.

The plan includes the installation of speed bumps at five places along Brooklyn and the creation of median islands at both ends of the street.

If the plan is approved, it will end a long battle that often pitted resident against resident and saw a number of solutions suggested and approved by the city, only to be withdrawn in the face of public outcry.

For several years, residents on Brooklyn--two blocks north of Imperial Highway--have complained that motorists use their street as an alternate thoroughfare. A study by the city confirmed that traffic counts and speeds were higher on Brooklyn than on other residential streets.

While neighborhood residents agree that Brooklyn is a popular shortcut during peak commuting times, they disagree on how to discourage traffic on the street.

In November, 1993, the city erected a barricade at one end of Brooklyn, a move requested by residents. Although the barricade did reduce traffic on Brooklyn, it enraged other residents, who said the traffic merely moved north to their streets. The city eventually removed the barricade.

Since then, the city has had several meetings to come up with a compromise.

In addition to the improvements to Brooklyn Avenue, the plan also calls for the installation of 12 stop signs throughout the neighborhood, speed bumps on Wabash Avenue, Marda Avenue and 2nd Street, and medians on Valley View and Wabash avenues.

The total cost of the project and follow-up traffic studies is estimated at $170,000.