A proposed intervention for a tricky left turn from Coast Walk onto Torrey Pines Road was met with rejection from the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board at its meeting Nov. 18.
Local resident Glen Rasmussen proposed through T&T Chairman Erik Gantzel that the board support making a request to the city of San Diego for a “No left turn” sign at the exit of Coast Walk to help ensure that drivers turn right onto Torrey Pines Road rather than try to merge across traffic lanes.
Rasmussen did not attend the meeting, as he was serving as a trustee at the La Jolla Development Permit Review Committee meeting at the same time.
The sign wouldn’t be the only “No left turn” marker in the immediate area, as one is placed at the exit of Princess Street onto Torrey Pines.
Gantzel described the left turn as “a dangerous enterprise at certain times of day,” despite the presence of a middle lane helping drivers to move onto the main road.
Area resident Brenda Fake acknowledged it would be ignorant to rule out the possibility of any accidents during a left turn but said Coast Walk residents make that left turn a lot and that with little enforcement, “anything that happens today will happen tomorrow, with a sign or without a sign.”
Fake said she has made the turn many times and that the middle lane enables drivers to easily merge.
“There’s a way to do this, and drivers know how to do this,” Fake said. “And the more driving experience [you have], the better off you are. As long as you’re not inebriated, you’re going to be fine.”
Resident Tom Rushfeldt said “The only time it’s a problem is during certain peak times of traffic. The rest of the day, it’s easy. To put in a generic ‘No left turn’ sign, we are opposed to it. And I think virtually every resident … that lives on Coast Walk is going to be opposed to it.”
Gantzel said “I think we are operating without data that we would really need to support this. … We don’t have information about accidents — the result of people turning left.”
Fake agreed, saying “Every turn on and off of Torrey Pines is dangerous, and it doesn’t matter if it has a light or a sign or a stop sign. I would just offer that the residents are opposed to it as a general rule. It would require a study and more data.”
T&T member Mike McCormack said it’s best to keep things how they are, with the middle lane offering key protection for drivers. He also agreed with Rushfeldt that drivers don’t have to turn left if they don’t want to.
A motion to deny Rasmussen’s request passed 9-0, with board member Mary Soriano abstaining after she appeared at the meeting late. ♦