Prior to spending more than an hour on the issue of medical marijuana at Tuesday’s meeting of the Yucca Valley Town Council, the council members heard about several problem intersections in the town that needed improvements. Managing editor Tami Roleff says in the second of this two-part report that council members agreed that two intersections needed changes made, but deferred action on a third…
Council members agreed that the intersection of Yucca Trail and Warren Vista was dangerous, and directed staff to install a 4-way stop sign at the intersection to reduce crashes there. Next, the council members learned that since a traffic signal was installed in 2013 at the intersection of Palomar Avenue and Yucca Trail, crashes have soared from five in the previous two years to 16 in the last two years. Driver impatience was blamed for the majority of the crashes, as drivers attempted to go around cars making left turns, and crashed into opposing vehicles going straight or making right turns. The town will attempt restriping the lanes at the intersection and lengthening the time of the yellow signals. The third intersection at Sage Avenue/Yucca Trail and Highway 62 was widely acknowledged to be problematic, but because everyone knows the intersection is a problem, people take extra care there and there are very few crashes there. Council members elected to do nothing to that intersection, since any changes would have ripple effects on nearby residential streets. In other business, Council member George Huntington asked that the planning commission revisit its recent decision on the native plant landscape plan for Sage Estates. And town employees and residents said good-bye to Melanie Crider, who has been the town’s animal care and control manager for more than 22 years.
YUCCA VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL LOOKS AT TROUBLESOME INTERSECTIONS
