Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday accepted three traffic studies, including one that increases the speed limit on Willow Creek Road, but they put the brakes on two more studies, until a committee can discuss the issue.
Amador County Public Works director Roger Stuart said the studies were requested by California Highway Patrol, among 11 priority studies needed. The studies determine safe speeds and allow for enforceable use of radar guns and speeding tickets. Stuart said previous studies were all expiring in 2007, and Stantec was contracted to make the studies, which must be redone every 5-10 years.
Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said he would like to see the benefit to the county for the studies, which cost $2,500 each. He said Willow Creek Road, Village Drive, and Shenandoah Road, are ancillary, and he wondered why CHP made the requests for them to be studied.
Supervisor Richard Forster said you rarely see CHP on Willow Creek Road. He said there are quite a few houses on the road, and two wineries, and he wondered if that was considered, when the study determined the speed limit of 50 mph. Plasse said a new green waste processing plant could also be affected.
Forster asked if they voted against the 5 mph increase on Willow Creek Road, would it be enforceable. Stuart said it would not be radar enforceable without the increase, though other speed limit methods could be used.
Supervisor Brian Oneto said he asked the CHP commander if they could get statistics on the number of tickets written on county roads, but they could not say. He said without CHP there, they cannot get tickets written.
Forster said he was not going to vote for something that was not enforceable. The board voted 4-1 to approve the studies, which Stuart said would all be brought back with a draft ordinance for enactment. Plasse wondered about the list of CHP priorities, and Stuart said it went to Public Works.
Forster said: “To me, we actually hurt ourselves there” because the study said to raise the speed limit, and if we did not do it, then we can’t enforce it.” Forster said the issue should go to committee.
Administrative Officer Chuck Iley told Stuart to hold the last two “task orders” for studies, of Buckhorn Ridge Road, and Upper Ridge Road, until the issue goes to the Public Works Committee. Plasse said they should “talk about policy relative to speed studies.” He said “if enforcement is not happening despite the studies, then what good are the studies?”
Supervisor Ted Novelli wondered about liability, if they kept the studies from occurring or taking effect. Supervisor Louis Boitano said the county recently won a lawsuit over traffic deaths that occurred on Electra Road.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
