One of Manteca’s short cuts between major arterials may soon be less effective as a time saver.
The City Council in the coming weeks, will be asked to lower the speed limit on Crom Street between Airport Way and Union Road from 35 mph to 30 mph.
Speed lumps can be requested by nearby residents who reside near non-arterial streets that have posted speed limits or lower.
The collector street is somewhat problematic as the north side of most of the mile stretch runs along the northern boundary of the city golf course.
Because of the lack of driveways and no parking along the course, traffic speed has always been an issue.
The city in the late 1990s placed the city’s first bulb-outs as well as bike lanes on the northside of Crom Street at two intersections in a bid to slow traffic as part of a Safe Routes to School project.
Sidewalks were then added along the golf course while a long stretch on the south side still does not have sidewalks.
The city next added all-way stops at intersections.
The latest effort has been adding flashing red LED lights around stop signs on Crom due to the number of drivers that fail to come to a complete stop or else roll through the stop signs.
Given the police have five officers in its dedicated traffic enforcement unit to cover the entire city, speed lumps have proven significantly more effective at slowing down traffic on a permanent basis than occasional targeted enforcement.
Some residents have asked for a drop in speed to 25 mph.
Under state imposed parameters to justify the legal use of radar, if speed surveys can’t justify a drop that large, tickets the police issue would be next to impossible to enforce in court.
By contrast, speed lumps that require slowing down to 15 mph or less are in place 24/7 to legally enforce speed.
The Crom Street “short cut” is also problematic as it allows drivers on Union Road trying to reach Lousie Avenue to had west toward Lathrop to avoid trains blocking the Union Road crossing in their bid to reach Louise Avebue to turn left.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
