SANTA ANA : Residents Oppose Traffic Access Plan

Dozens of residents spoke out this week against a plan to restrict access to an area of northwest Santa Ana to stop commuters from using narrow residential streets as a shortcut during the “Orange Crush” freeway interchange construction.

Calling the proposal ill-conceived, unworkable and potentially dangerous, about 30 residents asked the City Council at its Monday night meeting not to consider the plan, proposed by a neighborhood group. The plan calls for installing traffic barriers on streets leading into the neighborhood, bounded by Bristol Street on the west, 17th Street on the south, Broadway on the east, and Memory Lane, Sherwood Lane and the Santa Ana Freeway to the north.

Proponents of the plan said the worst traffic problems occur on Santa Clara Avenue, which has been overrun by an additional 2,000 cars vehicles day since the Flower Street and La Veta Avenue/Bristol Street freeway off-ramps were closed. Commuters, the residents claim, are avoiding detours set up by Caltrans directing traffic south on Bristol Street to 17th Street.

But James O’Connor, who lives on River Lane west of Bristol, said he opposed the plan “because they’re trying to build themselves a moat” and shunt traffic problems to surrounding areas. “I oppose the plan, but I agree that we should all work together and talk it over,” he said.

Julie Humphries, a spokeswoman for the neighborhood group, presented a petition supporting the plan signed by nearly 800 residents. She said the petition, signed by 77% of the neighborhood’s homeowners, represented a “clear consensus” of the residents.

However, many residents who do not live within the borders defined by the group said they were not notified about the plan and were never asked whether they would support it. They also said they opposed it because closing streets could cause dangerous delays in fire and police response, and rerouting traffic as proposed would increase traffic near Santiago Elementary School.

Residents west of Bristol have also complained that the plan would hinder trips to the MainPlace/Santa Ana mall and other commercial businesses on the northeast side of the neighborhood. Mall spokeswoman Judy Bijlani said that MainPlace officials have not yet heard about the plan and could not say whether it would affect their business.

The council took no action on the proposal, but on Dec. 2 city staff will present a schedule of public meetings to encourage input from residents and offer other possible solutions.