San Diego's Dangerous Intersections: A Call for Action
In a bold move to enhance road safety, San Diego's traffic engineers have unveiled a list of the city's most perilous intersections. This initiative, part of an annual review, aims to prioritize locations where safety measures are desperately needed.
But here's where it gets controversial: the team's evaluation criteria. They focused on intersections with five or more injury or fatal crashes in 2024. Engineers also considered incidents where vehicles struck pedestrians and areas with a high prevalence of injuries.
Margaret McCormick, Interim Assistant Director of the Transportation Department, emphasized the collaboration between engineers and field operations teams to ensure swift and efficient safety upgrades. "Being able to carry out these projects in-house is crucial for timely completion," she added.
The list of prioritized locations includes:
- 15th Street and F Street
- 8th Avenue and Broadway
- Bayard Street and Grand Avenue
- 8th Avenue and University
- Kettner Boulevard and Sassafras Street
- 10th Avenue and A Street
- Otay Center Drive and Siempre Viva Road
- Garnet Avenue and Mission Bay Drive
- Fairmount Avenue between Montezuma Road and Talmadge Canyon Row
- Imperial Avenue between 53rd Street and Jacinto Drive
- Main Street between the I-5 off-ramp and Woden Street
- Midway Drive between Kemper Street and Duke Street
- Mission Gorge Road between Twain Avenue and Mission Gorge Place
Transportation crews have already made progress in some areas, implementing safety improvements on Fairmount Avenue, Main Street, Mission Gorge Road, and Imperial Avenue. However, certain projects require additional funding through the city's Capital Improvement Program.
Safety recommendations for these intersections vary. Some suggest adding signs, flashing beacons, and crosswalks to enhance pedestrian visibility and calm traffic. Others call for upgrading traffic signals, replacing or adding speed limit signs, and installing pedestrian countdown timers.
Additionally, the "Daylighting Law" may bring longer red curbs to certain intersections, prohibiting vehicles from parking within 20 feet of crosswalks.
For a comprehensive list and details on San Diego's Vision Zero initiative, visit sandiego.gov/VisionZero. Join the conversation: What do you think about these safety measures? Are there any intersections you believe should be on this list? Share your thoughts in the comments!
