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Consultants brief Laguna Hills commission on traffic engineering, AB 413 daylighting and AB 43 speed reductions
Summary
Experts from on‑call consultant Hartzog & Crable reviewed traffic‑engineering basics for the commission and summarized two recent California laws — AB 413 (daylighting) and AB 43 (expanded local authority to lower speeds) — and urged data‑driven warrants, documentation and coordination with enforcement.
Jerry Stock, a traffic engineer with the city’s on‑call consultant Hartzog & Crable, gave Laguna Hills’ Traffic Commission a 30‑minute overview of traffic engineering on May 21, explaining the field’s core tools and recent state law changes.
"Traffic engineering is basically the movement of people and goods as efficiently and safely as possible," Stock said, describing common duties such as signal timing, striping, signage and speed‑survey work. He framed the discipline as a three‑part effort—engineering, education and enforcement—and said local decisions must follow guidelines in the California Vehicle Code and the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Stock highlighted Assembly Bill 413, effective Jan. 1, 2025, commonly called the daylighting law, which prohibits stopping or parking within 20 feet of an intersection approach in many situations to improve sight lines. He also reviewed AB 43 (effective Jan. 1, 2022), telling the commission it gives local agencies clearer legal authority to reduce posted speeds on corridors with higher pedestrian presence, children or seniors.
On the method for setting limits, Stock described standard practice: calibrated speed surveys capture travel speeds and engineers typically use the 80th‑percentile speed as a primary input. He said that where the calculated speed would be unsafe for pedestrians, towns can document conditions and use AB 43 provisions to reduce limits. "We now have that luxury of dropping it lower," he said, describing AB 43 as "another arrow in our quiver legally that allows us to further enhance safety."
During Q&A, commissioners pressed on concerns that basing limits on prevailing speeds could ratify higher speeds if drivers accelerate over time. Stock answered that the statute provides exceptions for pedestrian‑heavy areas and emphasized the importance of documented engineering studies and approvals by a registered traffic engineer.
The presentation also covered practical tools the city uses: warrant analyses for signals and stop signs, sight‑distance evaluations, turning‑movement counts, pedestrian counts and collision reviews. Stock and his colleague said traffic‑calming measures should be selected after assessing speeds, collisions and adjacent land use.
The commission did not take formal action on the presentation itself; staff and the consultants said the slide deck would be made available to commissioners for reference.
