At the last Ocean Beach Town Council meeting in late April, local Craig Klein, a member of the OB Planning Board, got up and raised the issue about the lack of center-line striping down several blocks of Newport Avenue. Newport, of course, is OB’s main commercial street. Klein was very critical of no stripes and asked the Council if they could deal with it.
The Town Council really didn’t have much of a collective response, but the issue of the lack of center-line dashes on the street has bubbled up – where even local mainstream media have gotten caught in it.
Fox5 reported:
Based on a “traffic calming” study from Holland, the City of San Diego has decided not to stripe a five-block area on Newport Avenue in the heart of Ocean Beach.
The study says the lack of center lines on roads makes drivers calm and less prone to road rage. But people who live and work in the area say it’s only made things more confusing and chaotic.
“We’re seeing the opposite. It gets a little aggressive down here. Trust me, it does,” said Ocean Beach resident Tony Chavez.
The city confirmed the decision was based on the study but declined to comment further. Fox5
Other OB residents who spoke on the Fox5 video were also very critical of the lack of strips. They say motorists are confused and end up zig-zagging down the street.
So, dear reader, what do you think? Does the lack of striping help or hinder driving down Newport? Let’s give the city some feedback.
People drive down the middle of the street. That is the result. The picture tells the story. A study takes precedence over common sense once again. Wait until the city decides to do reverse diagonal parking (backing in is safer for bicyclists, a study shows), another city favorite idea.
Almost hit by a car yesterday driving too close to my side of the road. Watched him almost hit two other cars. With all the drinking going on in OB it seems to me that lines are imperative and the sooner the better.
Re: your title. Personally, I’m delighted about the lack of “stripping” on Newport. So few of my neighbors I actually want to see naked.
Re: the article. Only seems problematic on the weekends. Summer may make it more difficult to deal with.
Yeah, the typo in the headline was unfortunate; if you notice, the correct spelling is in the article itself. But hey, it was a way to get some sex into the title.
Sorry, Frank. I guess that it was unfortunate from your point of view. From my POV, it was just darned amusing and I was looking for a good chuckle. A good chuckle is to be appreciated & savored these days. You are correct re: spelling in the article.
We demand more stripping in the streets of Ocean Beach! Take it off! Take it all off!
The straight line leads to the downfall of humanity. Friedensreich Hundertwasser
I support making Newport as car unfriendly as possible. Too much of OB is a slave to these dirty machines. Bike lanes, metered parking, narrowing the road for bigger sidewalks, are all great ideas.
I think I like the lack of striping. Center lines on such a crowded narrow street give a false sense of security to drivers. It seems more likely to have oncoming cars get in each other’s way or even have fender benders, but if it keeps them further away from the parked cars and slows them down I think that’s better for pedestrian safety.
What it has done is eliminate SDPD from enforcing CVC Section 21460.5.
Improper Turns Over Double Lines/Solid Lines carrying a Fine of $234.00 & 1 DMV Point, and allowing everyone to turn the wrong way into opposing traffic flow parking spots, almost killing me several times when riding my bicycle up or down Newport. But the street is smooth now, getting a few skateboarders off the sidewalk.