A local advocacy group says an intersection in University Heights has been the scene of more than two dozen crashes, some deadly, over the past 10 years. Now the group is hoping to get the attention of San Diego city leaders and convince them to make changes.
The busy intersection is where Park Boulevard, El Cajon Boulevard and Normal Street meet. It was the center of attention on Monday when residents and local leaders held a press conference to call for safety improvements.
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WATCH HERE“It is confusing for drivers," San Diego Councilmember Stephen Whitburn said. "It is dangerous for bicyclists, and it has proven deadly for pedestrians."
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SIGN UP More than 1,000 people signed a petition calling for action to make the street safer. There are a few options on the table, according to Whitburn.
“We are looking at a number of them being a quick-build roundabout as a medium-term solution, and those can be done fairly quickly and could help cars slow down and carefully navigate this intersection," Whitburn said. "Longer term, we want a traffic safety study to tell us what the best option would be. Would it be a roundabout or straightening out the angle, so it’s a more traditional four-way intersection?”
The traffic study portion would cost the city around $600,000 to complete, which Whitburn said is far less than the revenue generated from parking meters across the city of San Diego. Funding for the potential project, however, will need to be sorted out.
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“The city transportation department says it is ready to begin the traffic safety study if we find the funding for it. I am calling for that funding to be included in the current city budget negotiations, and if not, certainly with the additional parking meter revenue that would come into the city,” Whitburn said.
Safe street advocates say the $258 million budget deficit should not prevent the city from making improvements to the intersection that they say has changed the lives of numerous families.
"There's dedicated funding for transportation, and there are Transnet funds, SB-1 funds, that the transportation department is required to use," said Laura Keegan, the co-founder of Families for Safe Streets San Diego.
Whitburn said he will continue to advocate for the project moving forward.
