Planning Commission Gives Green Light to Traffic Change

For anyone who's ever cursed the location of a stop sign or a speed bump, or raised a finger to a new speed limit, there may be a new way to voice your concerns to the city.

Under a concept proposed to the Rancho Santa Margarita Planning Commission on Wednesday, the city's current traffic engineering policies would get a makeover, and the planning commission and the city council would take a greater role in determining what impacts residents in their cars.

Under the current policy, the city's Traffic Review Panel deals with traffic-related requests for crosswalks, no stopping zones and speed limits. The TRP is comprised of the city's police chief, traffic engineer and city engineer. The proposal made to the commission by city traffic engineer Bill Lawson would transfer the approval process on some issues to the planning commission or the city council, a change that would create a more open and transparent review process.

"This is a better way of doing it," Lawson said after the meeting.

Under the proposal which was instigated by city manager Steve Hayman, residents would have more opportunities to make their cases for—or against—proposed traffic-related issues. They would also be made more aware of impending changes.

Some matters would be heard by the planning commission before being heard by the city council, giving residents two opportunities to make their case publicly. Others would be handled by the city engineer.

Under the current policy, residents are often unaware of impending change. The proposed policy would help remedy that. As the policy gets an overhaul, it might be necessary for a person who wants a stop sign in their neighborhood to have the support of a half-dozen neighbors, for example, so that frivolous requests are eliminated.

The proposal was endorsed unanimously by the five planning commissioners, and the concept will be presented to the city council on Dec. 14.

Kent Hayden called the idea "a logical, natural progression," and Brad McGirr said it was long overdue.

"Very few things affect a resident more than the traffic in their community," said Peter Whittingham, the vice chair of the commission. "I think it's brilliantly deliniated where the authority will stand moving forward."

At the heart of the presentation was the approval authority matrix which was suggested by city staff; it would give final approval to the following entities:

• City Council (after project review by the planning commission): stop sign; mid-block crosswalk; traffic signal installation/removal; speed limit; permit parking program; traffic policy and procedures; duties of city engineer; appeal recommendation.
• Planning Commission: bulbouts, chokers, curb extensions; speed bumps, humps, lumps; speed feedback signs; denial to prepare traffic study.
• City Engineer: controlled intersection crosswalk; temporary traffic control; no stopping, standing and parking zones; pedestrian movements; desgnate turning lanes at intersections (highways); two-way left turn lanes (highways); intersection turning movement restrictions (highways); curb markings; pavement markings, striping; approval to study traffic issue.

"It does what we already do," McGirr said. "We have a public forum; people come here and talk about these issues, and then the appeal process is the city council, so it gives (the public) two bites at the apple: if they don't like the result here, they can go to the city council. That's the same thing we dealt with with Dove Canyon Courtyard or homes being built or whatnot. It's consistent with what we already do here."