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Murrieta Traffic Commission approves Hunter Road safety changes after resident plea
Summary
On April 15, 2026 the Murrieta Traffic Commission approved staff-recommended signing and striping changes on Hunter Road — including an all‑way stop at Mockingbird Avenue, an extended two‑way left‑turn lane and parking restrictions — citing limited sight distance and resident safety concerns.
The Murrieta Traffic Commission voted April 15 to approve signing and striping modifications on Hunter Road, adopting staff recommendations that include installing an all‑way stop at Mockingbird Avenue, extending the two‑way left‑turn lane west to Golden Eagle Avenue and restricting parking along the marked section.
City senior civil engineer James Ozaf introduced the item and turned the presentation over to consulting traffic engineer Brian Stevenson, who summarized a resident complaint about restricted sight lines for motorists turning from Mockingbird onto Hunter Road, incomplete striping west of Rainbow Drive and the absence of bike lanes. Stevenson said staff measured the sight distance at roughly 201 feet, below the city’s 35 mph minimum of 330 feet, and therefore recommended interim measures to improve safety while a longer-term circulation‑element update is considered.
The recommended interim package is: install an all‑way stop at Mockingbird Avenue and Hunter Road; extend the existing two‑way left‑turn lane from Rainbow Drive to Golden Eagle Avenue; and prohibit parking along that stretch to preserve sight lines and space for the eventual bike lane. Stevenson told commissioners the intersection had no reported collisions in the past 10 years but that sight‑distance shortfalls and increasing local traffic justified the traffic‑control changes.
Funding for the work will come from the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) capital improvement project budget, staff said. Stevenson and Ozaf said the city’s planning department is conducting a “general plan cleanup” that, if adopted by council this fall, would allow staff to stripe class‑2 bike lanes to the end of the road; until then, the commission approved the interim striping and parking restrictions.
Resident Craig, who requested the review and said he is an original resident of the Meadowark/Metallark neighborhood, urged the commission to approve the changes. “It’s just a matter of time if we don’t do this that somebody’s going to get hurt or killed,” Craig said, describing repeated near‑misses, a member of code enforcement who reported being nearly struck while on patrol, and increased traffic from a nearby sober‑living home.
After brief discussion and questions about funding, parking observations and the timeline for the general‑plan amendment, a motion to approve the Hunter Road signing and striping modifications as presented was made, seconded and carried unanimously. Staff said it would prepare a work order for the municipal services department to implement the approved changes.
The commission closed the meeting with brief remarks of thanks to staff and the public and adjourned. The approved interim measures will be implemented by municipal services pending scheduling and existing NTMP CIP availability; the long‑term addition of bike lanes requires council action on the general plan update.
