Heart of Valley Center

Roads

County Road Standards and Flexibilities

On December 18, 2009, the county Planning Commission approved new road standards and design flexibilities for the county. As part of the ability to incorporate and implement flexible roads design for communities, the county has received a CALTRANS grant. This grant will pay for preparation and public review of the Valley Center Community Development Standards per county policy J36. Work on the VC standards will begin in Spring 2010.

Valley Center Road Project The county has almost completed the major project of widening Valley Center Road. The first phase began in November of 03, and focused on completing the section that connect ‘up the grade’ from Escondido. Phase 1 was completed in September two years later. Phase two began in December of 05 and involves improvements from 1 mile south of Banbury Drive to Cole Grade Road. Remaining in Phase 2 is completing the Heritage Trail, landscaping the medians and the trail. At some point, the speed limit will also be determined by the 85% rule. (see story below)
In June 2009, the Valley Center Community Planning Group voted to approve recommendations for additional enhancements to Valley Center Road. (see story below)


Heritage Trail The Heritage Trail is the first dedicated trail in Valley Center. The trail runs from Woods Valley Road to Cole Grade Road on the west and north side of Valley Center Road. The trail is a thirteen foot pathway on a four-inch decomposed granite base, enclosed by four-foot lodge-pole pine fencing on both sides of the trail. The pathway will meander down into the Parks & Recreation District parcel at the corner of VC and Lilac Roads.
The cost of the project is covered by grants and donations FUNDING - $225,000 EEMP Grant #1- $350,000; EEMP Grant #2- $65,000; Community Projects Grant- $280,000; Community donations- $64,000. COSTS $800,000 Construction, and $120,000 Administration.


85% rule Before setting speed limits on local streets, the traffic engineers must clock the speeds of motorists driving them. Engineers then calculate the speed 85 percent of the drivers stay below and 15 percent exceed – the 85th percentile. And they post the new limit a the nearest 5 mph increment.


Planning Group Recommendations for Valley Center Road In June 2009, the Valley Center Planning Group (VCCPG) approved recommendations to continue to enhance Valley Center Road. The VCCPG goals were to: Make VC Road “context sensitive” coming into and through the South Village. Context sensitive means safe for all users: cars, trucks, shoppers, pedestrians, bikes, horses, etc. Reduce traffic speed coming down the grade to 45 mph at Woods Valley and to the boulevard design speed of 40 mph passing through the commercial area. Add traffic calming elements starting at the top of the grade that result in slower, safer, more business and pedestrian-friendly traffic coming into and passing through the South Village. At 40 mph travelers can see the commercial businesses and safely turn into and exit them. Next steps: VCCPG Mobility subcommittee approval, prepare preliminary designs, proposed budget and potential sources of funds, timetable and schedule. Obtain consensus from residents and business owners. Obtain Valley Center Design Review Board and VCCPG approval. In August 2009, the VCCPG voted to request that the county designate Valley Center Road a boulevard from Woods Valley Road to Cole Grade Road now, and not wait for the GPU to be approved. This allows for traffic calming measures to be implemented sooner, such as landscaping and textured, colored crosswalks.


Balancing Capacity, Safety and Context Sensitivity View Pedestrian PDF. View Designing for bicyclist PDF Roads serve many purposes. Automobile efficiency is important, however it is just one thing to consider. Road standards should also ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians. And they should also be sensitive to the variety of different contexts that they traverse. When we think about roads in Valley Center it’s important to think about all the different contexts we have here, and to think about what we want different roads to be in different places. Through town, traffic should be slower so that pedestrians can cross safely, and so that drivers can see local businesses, cross roads and driveways and turn safely into them. In semi‐rural and rural areas, we need road options that protect the character of country roads and neighborhoods, and accommodate activities that people actually do in these places. People drive, bike, walk, and ride horses on country roads. Double click on these pdfs to learn more about designing roads for bicyclists and pedestrian safety in rural neighborhoods.


What Roads Look Like View PDF The County of San Diego is currently updating the County Road Standards. These standards determine what the roads will look like when widened or built. For small towns and rural communities like Valley Center the character of our roads makes all the difference. The community of Valley Center has asked the County Department of Public Works to expand the road design options for San Diego County’s small towns and rural communities. Double click on this pdf to learn more about these recommendations.


How Roads Happen View PDF Ever wonder about the process works to determine how roads happen? Double click on this pdf to view a presentation that explains in simple terms how roads happen, what choices we have in road design and what criteria we use to choose roads in Valley Center.