Monday, July 15, 2019

• NO TURN ON RED

There has been much ado about the NO TURN ON RED sign(s) at Hidden Springs and Clinton Keith as one heads north, looking to turn east. Mostly due to people that want to disregard the four signs posted, forbidding a right on red.
You may need to get your vision checked if you can't see one of the four signs.
Safety has been an issue, to one degree or another, for as long as this intersection has existed. 

When I moved here in 2001 there was no intersection at all. There was no back way into Windsong Valley until they opened Stater Bros, and the rest of the center, in the mid aughts. If Hidden Springs Road existed then, it really was hidden.
Who remembers dealing with this before it was widened?
Before Wildomar Square opened in 2017, it was always a nail biter going north through the intersection. It's less so now, but a wise motorist will still exercise maximum caution while traversing this crosspoint.
As you can see, this is a very nonstandard intersection on many counts.
I tried to pull up an older Google Earth image, but couldn't figure it out.
I'd been hearing about impolite drivers at this intersection for months. That people obeying the NO TURN ON RED were being harassed by cars behind them with horns a-blaring. 

This happened to my wife last week so I posted in the facebook group Wildomar Friends and Community(Follow the link to read the ensuing comments)
If heeding posted roadway signs is too much to ask, then get ready to pay.
Here is the up-to-date info regarding this issue.

Based on many comments and questions posed, I asked our Public Works Director/Assistant City Manager Dan York to speak about this issue and to address the oft repeated desire to see a green arrow added there.
"Staff confirmed that because of the crest in Hidden Springs that crosses over Clinton Keith (sight distance); because of the dual left turns (wb to sb); and because of the pedestrian crossing the engineers deemed warranted to install a “No Turn on Red”  This improvement was installed by David Horenstein’s Engineer of Record/contractor and accepted by the city. Based on this information, I am not recommending removal of the signage." 
If you are first at the red light, slow your roll, it'll change back to green in about 90 seconds.

"When the intersection is fully developed (ie. The NW’ly commercial center), engineering will re-look at the ultimate intersection improvement plans.  We will assess the impacts on timing and delays throughout the intersection and if a green arrow is warranted at that time."
The long and short of it is this: There will be no green arrow as the intersection is currently configured. Now it's up to you to choose to follow the law, or risk meeting up with Officer Hansen and chatting with him about it.
He's really cool, and a good conversationalist.
Photo courtesy of Keith Jared at TapSnap.
I was telling him about the rude behavior of some motorists at this spot and he assured me that he'd happily ticket anyone he witnessed honking at other drivers —it's a safety issue. This intersection is on his radar, so consider this fair warning. 
•                •                •

If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.
— Herodotus, 484 BC-425 BC

If Wildomar Rap insisted always on being serious, a throat-punch would probably be in order.

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