City retracts request for speed increase on Soledad Mountain Road in La Jolla

After an uprising from Soledad Mountain Road residents at Traffic & Transportation (T&T) advisory board meetings, the City of San Diego has retracted its request to increase the speed limit from 35 to 40 mph between Pacifica Drive and Soledad Road.

According to an e-mail from a City Associate Engineer, the city’s speed survey “pertinent information” was reviewed again and it was determined that, “The segment of Soledad Mountain Road between Pacifica Drive and Soledad Road can be incorporated into the segment to the north. Therefore, the new segment limits are now Pacifica Drive to La Jolla Scenic Drive South with the enforceable speed limit of 35 mph in both directions of travel.”

The recommendation to increase the speed limit was brought to T&T and approved at the board’s Jan. 20 meeting. But before the findings could be ratified at La Jolla Community Planning Association’s February meeting, the topic was pulled for further review by a concerned resident who objected to the increase but was not notified of the propsoed change and sent back to T&T.

The topic was briefly addressed during T&T’s March meeting, but discussed at length during the April meeting, when residents opposed in attendance were asked to circulate a petition to show support for keeping the limit at 35 mph. The results of the petition could still be presented at the May T&T meeting for future reference, but chair Dave Abrams said the city’s retracted request will be announced and the item will be considered closed.

— T&T next meets 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 at La Jolla Rec Center, 615 Prospect St. lajollacpa.org