Traffic in Lake Forest - Real Solutions Part 4

Last week we examined the overwhelming negative comments from residents at the recent City forums, the inadequacies in the traffic signal synchronization plans, and the limitations of the intersection tinkering plans.

This week on Monday we looked at the streets closest to the 5 Freeway and we saw how minor changes with minimal expense and disruption could relieve traffic congestion at one of the worst spots in the City. On Tuesday we looked at Raymond Way North, where the Post Office is located, another of the many choke points along El Toro Rd. Wednesday we looked at Raymond Way South.

Today we leave El Toro and look elsewhere in the City.

Here’s a potpourri of areas of the City that have been built with a single entry/exit point. Not only does this create traffic problems, especially when the lone access point empties onto a busy street (as it almost always does), but there is an obvious danger in case of a natural disaster.

HIDDEN LAKES

Hundreds of vehicles are forced to enter/exit on Murin Isle, trying to get onto Muirlands. The wait for a break to make a left hand turn can easily run past a minute or more, and with speeding cars going downhill, it can be dangerous. Along Canada, a stop was put in preventing this traffic from having a second exit that could divert traffic onto Overlake.

SERRANO PARK

Hundreds of homes fill the Serrano area, emptying onto Trabuco. A link could easily be made by connecting Paseo Sombra with S. Pointe Dr., reducing the congestion on Trabuco and lowering the travel time for people wishing to go East to Foothill Ranch.

PRAIRIE RIDGE

A few hundred cars have only Red River Dr. as their entrance/exit. They pour out onto Trabuco Rd. With almost no effort, any of the cul-de-sacs in this area could be extended to link up with Old Trabuco Rd. Old Trabuco Rd itself could be opened up again where it meets Trabuco Rd. This would allow a short cut for people traveling North on Trabuco who wish to go East on Lake Forest Drive.

SUMMARY

These are only a few examples of other areas of the City where poor urban design has contributed to traffic congestion by forcing hundreds (and in some cases thousands) or cars to enter/exit on one street. In some cases a second entrance/exit could be made easily, and in other cases the costs would be minimal.

As we said at the beginning of the week, these alternatives need to be carefully considered and the impacted communities need to be involved. But if enacted, we can see a real reduction in traffic congestion by diverting hundreds/thousands of cars from major arteries. Not only would we see a reduction in congestion, we’d also see the creation of short cuts throughout the City, saving people time and money.