Murrieta traffic panel approves pickup/drop-off lane, striping near Buchanan Elementary

The Murrieta Traffic Commission on Nov. 19 voted unanimously to install a designated pickup/drop-off lane and new striping on Kingwood Road adjacent to Buchanan Elementary School.

James Ozoff, the city’s senior civil engineer and the commission liaison, told commissioners the city received options from the Murrieta Valley Unified School District to ease congestion around the school, and staff evaluated feasibility. Traffic engineer Ida Edgington said one option — creating an exit from the Vintage Park parking lot onto Torrey Pines Road — is not feasible because of a steep grade and circulation concerns. Instead, staff recommended a second option: a pedestrian connection from the school to Vintage Park combined with a passenger-loading lane on Kingwood Road.

Ida Edgington said staff’s recommendation is “to install a designated pickup drop off lane, which is that 10 foot lane that’s shown with the appropriate signage, which restricts parking between 7AM to 3PM for regular parking and will be designated as a passenger loading only,” and also to add a center lane stripe between Torrey Pines Road and Tennyson Road. Under the plan, the northbound configuration would provide a 12-foot travel lane and a 10-foot passenger-loading lane for about 300 feet; similar adjustments would be made in the southbound direction.

Edgington and staff said the Murrieta Valley Unified School District will construct the ADA-accessible concrete walkway and a gate that will be closed after school hours; the walkway’s schedule was not provided. Commissioners emphasized that the striping itself is likely to occur during school break but noted that if the walkway must be built first, the overall timeline could be longer. The presentation and ensuing discussion repeatedly underscored that the proposal restricts parking during school hours but does not reconfigure normal traffic flow.

Commissioners asked how the change would affect nearby residential streets and whether residents would be allowed full movements from North End Drive; staff said the exhibit could be revised to allow breaks in center striping where appropriate and that traffic patterns would be monitored after installation. Commissioner discussion also noted that broader behavior changes — such as more parents choosing to walk children to school — would be needed to eliminate school-related congestion entirely.

Commissioner Burchardt moved to approve the signing and striping plan; Commissioner Limo Giannis seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

The commission did not set a fixed start date for striping at the meeting; staff said striping is likely when school is out of session and that final timing will depend on when the district constructs the pedestrian connection.