Neighborhood’s Car Alarm : Residents refuse to let their streets become a major thoroughfare

People in Southern California spend enough time in their cars that radio traffic reports become a regular part of the daily routines. Regularly, they hear that major freeways are congested or stalled. The remedy is often a search for alternate surface routes.

What we don’t always get in these advisories is the spillover effect on side streets of having motorists looking for short cuts. In Costa Mesa, commuters running through the city’s East Side have produced sufficient alarm that the city has taken steps to protect the safety and integrity of local neighborhoods.

In recent years, residents have had their patience taxed by having so many motorists cutting between Newport Boulevard and Irvine Avenue. The presence of all these cars has justifiably raised concerns about safety for children and adult residents. Motorists are trying to avoid the traffic problems caused by the Costa Mesa Freeway, Newport Boulevard and surrounding vicinity. They get clogged with cars bound for the beach areas.

To address this problem, the Police Department sent a two-member traffic team to the area, targeting a number of local streets. In the month of September, officers wrote 752 traffic tickets and gave out 182 warnings. These included hundreds of citations for running stop signs, speeding and illegal turns.

With a 25-mph speed zone on most East Side streets, the potential for accidents is present when frustrated motorists cut through neighborhoods. Officials estimate that more than three-quarters of the citations are being given to out-of-town motorists.

While some locals are unhappy with getting targeted for such violations as riding a bicycle through a stop sign, many agree that strong enforcement is needed. There is consideration given to stronger measures than traffic ticketing, such as narrowing lanes and speed bumps. There are other plans to encourage motorists to remain in the commercial district, such as eventually widening 17th Street.

Getting tough on infractions sends a positive safety message to those passing through local neighborhoods anywhere in Orange County. And in the end, there’s no substitute for self-policing. Motorists should slow down to save lives in somebody else’s territory, even if it means a few minutes longer in transit.