Crash on Voltaire, 12/23/22
Back in early December 2022, the Peninsula Community Planning Board approved sending a letter to the city requesting a stop sign along Voltaire Street either at Bolinas or Soto. The letter was sent on Dec. 27.
Since then, there’s been a noticeable push-back by residents and property owners who live on Voltaire near those streets. They oppose a stop sign and they have a bunch of good reasons.
Mainly, a stop sign in that Voltaire corridor would cause significant traffic congestion, they believe, and suggest other options, such as lowering the present speed limit of 30 to 25, along with increased traffic enforcement, traffic calming measures, etc.
This has caused the Peninsula Board traffic subcommittee to write up a new draft letter that asks to rescind the earlier request for the stop sign.
And this is on the Board’s agenda Thursday night, May 18. The May Board Meeting will be held at 6pm In-Person at the Hervey Point Loma Library 3701 Voltaire, CA 92107,
The agenda item states:
“Letter rescinding request to install a stop sign along Voltaire at Bolinas or Soto or Guizot and request traffic calming measures, traffic study and more enforcement and to expedite the installation of the approved and funded flashing pedestrian beacon and flashing speed indicator signs. ”
The key section of the draft letter states:
… to avoid potential traffic congestion along Voltaire, we would like to rescind the request for the installation of a stop sign along Voltaire and Soto or Bolinas or Guizot that was approved by our board in November of 2022.
We would like to request that the city expedite and prioritize the installation of the approved and funded flashing pedestrian crossing beacon at Voltaire and Froude and the flashing speed indicator sign along Voltaire. Additionally, we ask for an additional flashing speed indicator sign to be installed along both sides of Voltaire.
Instead, we would like to request that the city conduct a traffic study, install traffic calming measures, reduce the speed limit, and increase traffic enforcement in the area of Voltaire between Froude and Catalina. The community has reported numerous instances of cars speeding through this area and several accidents involving pedestrians being hit by vehicles. This has caused concern among the community about the safety of crossing Voltaire, and we fear that without action, there may be further injuries or fatalities.
Furthermore, we would like the City of San Diego Traffic and Transportation Department to consider reducing the speed limit along the stretch of Voltaire between Froude and Catalina from 30 mph to 25 mph. We believe this would help address the safety concerns of vulnerable road users and support the Vision Zero goals of the city.
One homeowner on Voltaire — part of the local push-back — wrote Councilwoman Campbell about the problem:
… a stop sign installation at one of the aforementioned locations [Soto or Bolinas or Guizot] would significantly impede the flow of traffic along Voltaire’s residential corridor between Froude and Catalina. This residential corridor is vital to connecting Voltaire’s lower and upper business district. A stop sign would likely result in traffic congestion causing a constant eyesore for community members who live along Voltaire and disrupt pulling into and out of private driveways.
Voltaire’s residential corridor is similar to Chatsworth’s residential corridor—that corridor is located between the Voltaire/Chatsworth and Rosecrans/Lytton intersections and connects Voltaire’s upper business district to Liberty Station and Midway. Please note that no stop signs occur along that corridor.
Local residents are advised to attend this meeting in order to voice concerns or comments about the action item. If unable to attend this meeting, residents may email comments/questions prior to the meeting date to pcpbsd@gmail.com and korlajane@icloud.com
Everybody agrees there are traffic issues on Voltaire and there is quite a history of incidents on the street.
Traffic collision reports are recorded by the San Diego Police Department. Generally a report is not recorded for property damage. The following link lists the following report ID’s for the period of 2015 to the present for 4300 through 4606 Voltaire. https://data.sandiego.gov/datasets/police-collisions/
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I am so disappointed that after 35 years of accidents, injuries and deaths, I have lived in this part of OB, that the one attempt at a solution is suddenly withdrawn. Heartbroken. My kid has recently almost been hit at this intersection walking home from school. A neighborhood pet recently hit. A skateboarder a few years back killed.
Failure to act is failure. Plain and simple, as the status quo is dangerous for all residents. Driving, walking, biking and otherwise.
Our dog was hit in January by a speeding car that the driver did not see or hear either of us due to them driving so fast and not paying attention driving through a neighborhood. No marks on the road, they never braked. It was a blue car with a black front bumper. I never found out who it was and they never got out of their car and never came back to check on our dog. She ended up passing away in March due to her internal injuries and I do not want anyone else to go through what we went through. I still have a broken heart. If there had been a stop sign at the Voltaire/Bolinas intersection she would still be alive.
Sumbitch!
Years ago my son was quite nearly wacked by a car pulling into the 7-11 at Catalina when he was riding his bike to school. The sumbitch was probably late for grabbing a cuppajoe & didn’t see a high school kid on his bike heading to Pt Loma HS on Voltaire. The dirt bag jerk of an adult driving a vehicle made that right turn into the parking lot, cutting off my son. My son slid down to his right side to avoid the car. Road rash! The dirt bag jerk of an adult driving a 3000 pound unit slowed just a bit then accelerated across the lot & drove up the Catalina hill.
Dirt bags in vehicles–they are everywhere. Put down the phone. Pay attention. Think about how nice it is that you don’t kill someone before driving home.
Thank you for your article!
I found the following incidents under the police-collisions report for the period of 2015 to the present for 4300 through 4606 Voltaire and these are the only ones documented!
1. 606371 7/27/2016 11:30 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
2. 1607051 8/21/2016 0:00 613 4300 VOLTAIRE
3. 1609014 10/26/2016 13:43 614 4600 VOLTAIRE
4. 171433 2/19/2017 7:13 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
5. 172952 4/7/2017 18:15 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
6. 175649 7/15/2017 18:30 613 4300 VOLTAIRE
7. 177651 9/30/2017 16:55 614 4600 VOLTAIRE
8. 178273 10/22/2017 22:15 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
9. 180031 12/10/2017 19:47 613 4300 VOLTAIRE
10. 182970 4/14/2018 15:03 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
11. 183107 4/19/2018 12:15 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
12. 183612 5/3/2018 0:01 613 4400 VOLTAIRE
13. 187588 10/3/2018 18:18 614 4600 VOLTAIRE
14. 188881 11/17/2018 1:10 613 4300 VOLTAIRE
15. 190842 2/1/2019 21:13 614 4600 VOLTAIRE
16. 19205594 11/14/2019 1:00 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
17. 20203028 6/4/2020 22:31 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
18. 20204350 8/6/2020 10:40 613 4200 VOLTAIRE
19. 20205128 9/8/2020 16:00 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
20. 20207323 12/17/2020 19:30 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
21. 20063379 12/27/2020 2:30 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
22. 21043623 9/14/2021 19:20 613 4300 VOLTAIRE
23. 21207789 11/18/2021 10:25 613 4400 VOLTAIRE
24. 22200284 1/14/2022 16:30 614 4600 VOLTAIRE
25. 22202334 4/17/2022 2:00 613 4400 VOLTAIRE
26. 22202692 5/5/2022 23:20 614 4600 VOLTAIRE
27. 22204478 8/5/2022 17:31 613 4500 VOLTAIRE
28. 22207527 12/23/2022 19:07 613 4300 VOLTAIRE
29. 23012621 2/24/2023 18:03 613 4300 VOLTAIRE
Time for action for make this road safer for all! BTW #17 the death of the skateboarder due to hit and run still remains unsolved as far as I know https://obrag.org/2020/07/publics-help-needed-in-hit-and-run-that-killed-skateboarder-cameron-loren-in-ocean-beach-reward-offered/
Voltaire seems like a much better candidate for traffic circles than Bacon. Give it the Birdrock treatment!
I would agree with that statement.
A traffic circle at Voltaire and Froude would get my vote. One of the few intersections actually big enough for it to work.
I’ve lived on Bolinas Street for 36 years and I am in favor of a stop sign at Bolinas and Voltaire. Bolinas is the crest of a small hill and it is a good place to cross because you can see the traffic from both directions a long way off. The only places to cross now are at controlled intersections of Ebers and Catalina with nothing in between. I agree that traffic enforcement is the main problem but the PD has said the mayor has told them not to prioritize traffic because they are understaffed.
Whenever I hear about “traffic calming measures” I feel my cycling community antenna twitching. The city tried “calming” by squeezing in bike lanes and reducing travel lanes to below engineering standard widths. It is a disaster waiting to happen.
Regarding the skateboard accident… Those of us who live here have seen skateboarders rolling down the center of Voltaire many, many times at all hours of the day and night. The accident happened in the dark. While a hit-and-run is reprehensible, there is good reason to believe the skater contributed to that accident, it was an anomaly. That is the only serious accident I have seen in all those years but it is being used constantly – and incorrectly – ever since to advocate for traffic measures.
I’m curious to know what happened.
They voted to rescind the letter and to send a new one. http://www.pcpb.net/agendas/230518boarddraftvoltairetrafficletter.pdf. Some more detail in an account here Monday.