Paseo de Valencia: Keep Traffic Moving, Make It Safer
I support a Paseo de Valencia design that keeps two vehicle lanes in each direction, adds the protected bike lanes the federal grant requires, and uses demand-activated crosswalk beacons instead of additional stop signs. I do not support reducing the street to one lane in each direction without a local traffic analysis that residents can see.
As I talk with neighbors across District 4, Paseo de Valencia comes up again and again. It is how people get to school, work, and the freeway, and the city's proposed changes would affect every one of those trips.
What the city is proposing
The city has tentatively secured about $5 million in federal funding for a project on Paseo de Valencia between Alicia Parkway and Cabot Road, and on part of Cabot Road. The city says the grant requires a protected "Class IV" bikeway, so the bikeway itself is not up for debate. How it fits on the street is.
The city's project page lists goals I share: safer drop-off and pick-up at Valencia Elementary, slower speeds in the school zone, and a bike connection toward Cabot Road and the coast. The city has presented three conceptual designs and describes them as being for discussion. Some of them reduce Paseo de Valencia to one lane in each direction. The city's Alternative 3 keeps two travel lanes in each direction.
Where I stand
- Keep two lanes in each direction. I support designs like Alternative 3 that keep two full vehicle lanes each way while adding protected bike lanes. The city's regional traffic model says a one-lane design would not cause undesirable delays. Residents who drive this street every day, especially at school drop-off, are skeptical, and I share the concern. Before any lane is removed, I want a local analysis of school-hours traffic that residents can review.
- Use smart crosswalks, not extra stop signs. The city's concept drawings show stop signs at several side-street intersections, and the city's FAQ mentions all-way stops "where needed." Stop signs on a main arterial add idling and backups. I want the city to study demand-activated pedestrian beacons (often called HAWK signals) where traffic engineers' warrants are met. They stop traffic only when someone needs to cross, and the Federal Highway Administration lists them as a proven safety countermeasure.
- Choose a bike design that works at driveways. The city's Alternative 3 shows a two-way path on one side of the street, with an optional one-way protected lane on each side. I favor protected lanes on both sides of the street, each running one direction, because drivers backing out of driveways expect bikes to come from one direction, not two.
The goal: solve problems without creating new ones
Infrastructure decisions should make daily life better, not trade one problem for another. That means safer school routes, slower speeds near schools, and real bike connections, without turning a major road into a daily bottleneck. I will bring practical, resident-centered solutions to City Council, and I will ask for the data to back them up.
My commitments as your District 4 representative
- Support designs that keep two vehicle lanes in each direction while meeting the grant's protected-bikeway requirement.
- Ask for a local, school-hours traffic analysis and put it in front of residents before any lane is removed.
- Push for crosswalk beacons where engineering allows, ahead of added stop signs.
How do you want to see Paseo de Valencia improved?
Tell me what changes you would like to see, and what worries you.
Email TiffanySources
- City of Laguna Hills, Mobility Element Update and Paseo de Valencia / Cabot Road project page
- City of Laguna Hills, Conceptual Plan Alternative 3 (Paseo de Valencia and Cabot Road)
- City of Laguna Hills, Capital Improvement Projects (CIP 191)
- Federal Highway Administration, Proven Safety Countermeasures: Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon