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APG addresses traffic, safety at new school
By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — Only a week into the new
school year at Los Coches Creek Middle School predictions by
Alpine Planning Group members and local residents about traffic
problems have come true. Traffic around the Dunbar Lane school,
which has only one entrance and exit, has clogged up roads all
over the area.
“Traffic on the eight was backed up at least a quarter
of mile,” said planning group member Jim Easterling at the
meeting. “It came to a complete stop in both lanes; this is a
real issue we’ve got there.”
“I was there about twenty to four on Tuesday and the
traffic was so bad that they had someone out directing traffic,”
said Evelyn Provaznik, a long-time resident of Dunbar Lane, who
fought against the school being built at that location.
Planning group member also argued against the location
of the Cajon Valley Union school when it was first proposed,
largely due to traffic and safety concerns. The problem is not
only how to move parents in and out more quickly, but how to get
the students around the area, before and after school, safely.
“There are no crosswalks going from east to west to get
the kids across Dunbar and to the school,” Provaznik said.
At the planning group meeting held last Thursday, Aug.
24, members addressed the traffic and safety concerns around the
school. The group proposed the addition of more stop signs and
crosswalks at the intersections around the school. Currently
there are stop signs located at eastbound Old Highway 80 and
Dunbar Lane and on Chocolate Summit coming west.
While more stop signs will slow down drivers, not
everyone in the area believes that more signage will help the
traffic situation. In an e-mail letter to the planning group
Dunbar residents Craig and Lisa Small wrote, “We believe this
many stop signs it way too excessive and will create more
traffic issues than already exist.”
“When this issue first came before us, the school was
here, and they assured us that they were going to have a
circular pattern, and there wasn’t going to be all these
problems,” said Larry Urdahl. “I think the fastest course of
action here is going to be to go pound a fist on the Cajon
Valley superintendent’s desk and say ‘hey, look at the mess
you’ve created here — fix it.’”
“While the school was being built, we talked with
traffic advisors about the concerns regarding traffic brought by
this group and by residents,” said Christina Becker, director of
long range planning for CVUSD. “TAC (Transportation Advisory
Committee) told us ‘NO,’ traffic doesn’t warrant putting a stop
sign at these places.”
Becker admitted that the current traffic levels are
unacceptable, but said that traffic at the school got better
every day of the first week.
“We’re trying all sorts of schemes to get these parents
in and out of there,” Becker said. “It is the first week; lots
of parents want to drive little Johnny and Suzie to school right
now.”
Adding buses relieves some of the drop-off, pick-up
traffic, and, according to Becker, ridership is up. In CVUSD,
children who live within two miles of the school are not offered
free busing services, however, they are encouraged to purchase
bus passes and have parents drop them off at other bus stops,
rather than drive all the way to school and battle the traffic.
A school year pass will cost $190 per student, according to
Becker.
More buses also means fewer students walking to and
from school on local roads, many of which have no sidewalks.
Student safety is a major concern for anyone who has seen an
excited middle school student bolt across the street without
looking after the end-of-day bell.
According to Becker, the school currently has a
crossing guard moving students, however, they cannot continue to
staff that position for long.
“I have no problem putting a crosswalk in a controlled
intersection with a stop sign,” Becker said. “But I won’t do a
crosswalk without a stop sign.”
“I would love it for you to vote for this motion, and
then we can get TAC and the county on our side about this safety
issue,” Becker said.
The board voted to place a 4-way stop at Dunbar Lane,
Chocolate Summit, Old 80 and Alpine Boulevard; as well as the
addition of crosswalks at those stop signs and school speed zone
signs in the area. They also agreed to expedite the process
through the appropriate county and school district departments
so that the problem can be dealt with quickly.
“I will get on this right away,” said chairman Jim
Mowry. “This is really a safety issue that we are dealing with.”
Out of order
Tempers flared at the beginning of Thursday’s meeting
as a few of the members hi-jacked the platform to address
another member.
Jim Easterling, Mark Price and Doug Benson took turns
responding to a letter written by Jane Fitz, to The Alpine
Sun, which ran in the Aug. 10 edition.
The scene began innocently enough, with Easterling
filling out a speaker slip during the open discussion and
standing at the podium to address Fitz.
“I feel that I was attacked, and I feel as though some
lies have been put forth on my behalf,” Easterling said. “I
would suggest that the person who wrote this in the paper, Jane…
I’d love to sit down with you, and The Alpine Sun, and
clear up all of these lies.”
After Easterling took his seat, Price offered his own
comments.
“There are some folks, that for their own self-serving,
selfish agenda reasons, just don’t really stay all that close to
the truth,” Price said.
Member Paul Rohal interrupted the tirade, asking for
Mowry to move on with the meeting. “Mr. Chairman, point of
order, let’s get on with the agenda please.”
Price continued to speak, disregarding Rohal’s comment.
“For them it’s not about the truth, it’s just about
hurting people,” Price said angrily.
Once Price had finished, Mowry called on Benson to
speak next.
“This was not an agenda item and should not have been
discussed,” Rohal said after the meeting.
According to the Policy I-1 and the APG standing rules,
which govern the group, public testimony can not be discussed by
planning group members.
“They used the APG and community forum to air their
belly aches instead of responding in writing directly to The Sun
via letters to the editor,” Rohal said.
The offense taken from Fitz’s letter has to do with
several members’ connections with developers in Alpine, as well
as personal interests in decisions made by the group.
One person mentioned in Fitz’s letter, chairman Mowry,
took the opportunity to respond via his own letter to the editor
in The Alpine Sun, which can be seen in the Aug. 24
edition.
Editor’s note: Any members of the
Alpine Planning Group who would like an opportunity to respond
are invited to send a letter to the editor to Christy Scott.
 E-mail
Christy Scott
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