LAGUNA NIGUEL : City Assesses Safety Measures Near School

Avoiding a confrontation over how to slow traffic near Niguel Hills Middle School, the City Council on Tuesday took its own safety measures and promised parents to revisit the issue in 120 days.

Council members approved spending $5,000 for a radar gun so that police officers can step up patrols along Paseo de Colinas. They also authorized an additional speed limit sign on both sides of the street to make sure motorists know that they are in a 25-mph zone.

A small but vocal group of parents has been asking the city to install flashing beacons and speed bumps.

Paseo de Colinas is a busy street with a 45-mph speed limit that drops to 25 mph in front of Niguel Hills during school hours. Parents say many drivers ignore the signs and speed past the campus, even when the street is crowded with students before and after school.

The Capistrano Unified School District endorsed extra safety measures, but the city Traffic Engineering Department argued that increased police patrols and additional speed limit signs would be more effective.

Parents at Tuesday’s meeting said they can accept the council’s alternative for now, provided that the city checks the school zone after four months to see if traffic has slowed.

Parent Maryann Tolly said she was encouraged that the council didn’t rule out the beacons and speed bumps entirely.

“They didn’t use the word ‘deny,’ ” she said. “We’ll see what happens in 120 days.”