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Laguna Beach mayor blames Caltrans lane closure for heavy traffic, pushes for signal synchronization and evacuation planning
Summary
Mayor Alex Renaghi said a late-night Caltrans lane closure caused severe traffic in South Laguna and that city officials plan to pursue signal synchronization (potential OCTA grant) and integrate traffic timing into the wildfire evacuation plan.
Mayor Alex Renaghi attributed a recent spike in traffic to a late-night Caltrans lane closure and told host Tom Johnson that residents called to express frustration. "There's horrible traffic," Renaghi said, describing calls from residents and his conversations with the city manager.
Renaghi said Laguna Beach needs to do a better job informing residents about delays and that one practical long-term fix is to synchronize traffic signals on Coast Highway, a system he said has not been synchronized in more than 10 years. "It's actually a pretty simple fix for a lot of the traffic issue," he said, and suggested the city could pursue an OCTA grant to help update signal technology.
He also argued that the same signal-timing practices useful for everyday congestion could be applied to evacuations and wildfire planning; he said the city’s updated wildfire plan includes that action item. Renaghi described an approach where synchronized signals can encourage compliance with speed limits and improve flow, saying in effect that adherence to speed limits can produce faster travel times when lights are timed accordingly.
The interview did not include a timeline for any synchronization project, an engineering plan, specific grant applications, or a budget. Renaghi said public works would follow up and that staff would report back to him.
