Hazard at Proctor Valley Road Gets Reflectors

Proctor Valley Road on a rare quiet time

You've probably never noticed what I'm about to discuss because traffic moves through this area at a high rate of speed. The speed limit is 35MPH but I would say the average speed is much higher than that.

When you come to the stop sign at Proctor Valley Road and Jonel Way, there is an unseen hazard on the east side of the intersection. It's difficult to see out your car window, and who has time to sight-see when navigating this chaotic area?

A lot of cars don't bother to stop, some roll through and others blaze through the crossing.

The sign was originally installed to give Jonel Way residents the ability to leave their slow residential roadway and enter the Proctor Valley "freeway". Another stop sign was installed on the west side of the "superhighway" to allow Bonita Meadows home owners to exit their street.

Proctor Valley Road used to look like the quiet little drive pictured in the photo above. Once the SR125 was constructed, this road became the cut-through for many Eastlake/Chula Vista drivers to avoid the toll. Most seem in a big hurry to get somewhere fast.

It is reported that over 10,000 cars travel through this rural-residential area daily.

The traffic is wild and unpredictable, to say the least. I can truthfully say that I have been passed on both the left side and the right side when traveling the speed limit on Proctor Valley Road. It resembles more an Indy 500 than a relaxing country road.

That is my concern and the purpose for the publication of this article.

When a motorist is moving faster than the speed limit, passing slower cars and zigging in/out and around, danger could be awaiting them ahead in a normal situation. But this hazard adds more vulnerability to the driver and could potentially cause serious injury or even death.

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Here's the view from the backside of the hazard. You can see Proctor Valley Road behind it as the road heads downhill (another factor in a dangerous situation). The cement structure on the water conduit barely peeks above the road, assisting an out-of-control vehicle to go airborne. The slope of the hazard is steep enough to cause an automobile to flip. Once headed down that slippery slope, there's no turning back.

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These three images exhibit the steepness of the slope, the depth of the creek and the height of the cement conduit. Any one of these items presents a treacherous scenario, but all three together almost guarantee it.

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This photo shows a bent-up, sheared-off metal pole. There is one on each side, indicating that maybe an actual barrier existed sometime in the past.

Recently, two poles with reflectors were installed at the site.

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There now, doesn't that make you feel safer?

They do not stop your car from transversing down the slope, jumping the road or swan-diving into the creek bed. I would go as far to say that these reflectors would lose a battle with a 4,000 pound car traveling out-of-control at a high rate of speed.

Leave a comment below to let us know your opinion and lets get this conversation started. [This online newspaper allows you to use a pseudonym rather than your real name if you so desire.]

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