Residents press Norco for traffic-calming and parking fixes after collisions; council asks staff for follow-up

Multiple Norco residents urged the City Council to address dangerous speeding, repeated collisions and inadequate shoulder parking on neighborhood streets, and council directed staff to return with follow-up options.

Residents who testified identified Vine Avenue — the long, flat cut-through that runs parallel to River Road between Bluff and Corydon — as a persistent safety problem. Trisha Autree, who lives in the area, said a 17-year-old lost control on Jan. 28 in a single-vehicle crash that damaged private property. She described children riding bikes and people riding horses along the same stretch and urged the city to install speed humps, stop signs or other calming measures rather than rely solely on enforcement.

A neighbor, Kristen Jimenez, gave a similar account and said her family’s children and horses use the same trail that the vehicle struck. “Please don’t let this be the next case for Vine as well,” she said.

Lieutenant [Riverside County Sheriff’s Department] told the council the department has stepped up traffic enforcement operations in the corridor and elsewhere in Norco. The sheriff’s office said recent targeted operations produced citations — 42 sites cited in one operation and 47 in another — but noted a recent loss of a dedicated motorcycle traffic officer has reduced in-house traffic capacity. The lieutenant urged the city to consider resource options if it seeks sustained heightened enforcement.

Separately, council considered a consent-item change that codified “no parking” restrictions on Valley View where a recent street-improvement project narrowed the carriageway as part of new curb, gutter and drainage work. Public-works staff said the reconstructed section is 24 feet wide and physically cannot accommodate on-street parking without creating unsafe conditions or blocking the travel lane. Staff reported the city had placed temporary signage on site but had not conducted advance, individual outreach to every property owner showing how the new curb and drainage layout would remove informal roadside parking.

Councilmembers discussed whether the Streets and Trails Commission should review exceptions for one-off cases such as a resident who installed pavers and requested to keep them. Councilmember Greg Sullivan suggested the commission and staff examine that site and advise whether an exception process is appropriate. The council voted to approve the parking restriction and directed staff to place the paver/exception issue on a Streets & Trails agenda for review with a recommendation to council.

Ending

Staff said they will return with traffic-calming options for Vine Avenue and a Streets & Trails recommendation on the Valley View paver request; the sheriff’s office said it will continue targeted enforcement while discussing longer-term resourcing options with the city.