Banning Traffic Circulation

Banning Traffic Circulation

Lincoln Street to Sun Lakes Blvd must be completed for community safety and improved traffic circulation. With the ever increasing traffic on Highland Springs Ave. and Beaumont Ave., both of which back up residents and emergency responders at the I-10 Freeway daily, this improvement must be completed. Pennsylvania Ave. is a quaint wagon road alternative, but pretty useless with no train undercrossing and only one-way on and off ramps.

Opening up Lincoln St. to Sun Lakes Blvd. will allow Banning to bring in more commercial and retail businesses. That would provide more badly needed jobs for the Pass area.

The proposed Banning I-10 interstate by-pass route on the east end of Banning must be completed. This is another safety and circulation nightmare. Getting trapped on the I-10 Freeway in the summer with 110 degree heat can be deadly.

Opening this roadway can save lives and open up the eastside of Banning to more commercial and retail development and jobs. Banning really needs new jobs, lots of them. Unfortunately such an effort will involve the county and state which move at a snail’s pace. Well, let’s get them involved and let’s get the circulation improvement done. If it takes President Trump to knock down all of the red tape obstacles, let’s ask for his help. I have his address; we could send him a letter?

A former Banning city councilman lobbied for a truck stop on the east end of town many years ago. His request was denied by the council. With the closest truck stop, on the I-10 Freeway in Ontario, and the DMV scales just east of Banning, now would be a great time to build that truck stop with the I-10 by-pass completion. Working in the trucking business for years I was always asked where is the nearest truck stop by drivers and the best I could do was to tell them, Ontario. Trucking is a huge business that would bring more tax dollars and jobs to Banning. Let’s move Banning forward!

Timothy Smith

Banning City Council Candidate, District 4