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Police and city staff outline Palm Drive safety plan, new speed trailer and summer engineering work
Summary
After a spike in collisions, the Police Department used an Office of Traffic Safety grant to boost enforcement on Palm Drive and bought a speed radar trailer; city engineers said a Palm/20th signal and a full Palm Drive rehab with new curb, sidewalks and 139 lights are slated for summer construction.
The Desert Hot Springs Police Department and city engineering staff told the Public Safety Commission on Jan. 9 that a coordinated enforcement and engineering plan is under way to address a recent rise in collisions on Palm Drive.
Police Chief Shaw said collisions on Palm Drive in November and December prompted extra enforcement using officer overtime and funding from an Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant. The department purchased a new speed-radar trailer for public education and to gather speed and volume data: "We set the speed of that particular roadway ... and if you go over that speed it's going to light up," Chief Shaw said. He emphasized the trailer is an education and data tool, not a citation device, but the data can guide enforcement deployment.
From engineering, Assistant Manager Poris said two Palm Drive projects are moving forward: a traffic signal at Palm/20th (design under state review, expected to clear by May) and a separate resurfacing project that will install new curb, gutters, sidewalks, 139 street lights and full asphalt rehabilitation from Camino Aventura to the freeway. Poris said both projects are multi-jurisdictional (city, county and state) and that construction is expected to begin this summer.
Commissioners asked whether the design will include a raised median or other physical deterrent to prevent dangerous u-turns. Engineers said they were evaluating options—narrower lane widths, raised curbs or reflectors—but must coordinate approvals and maintenance responsibilities with the county before committing to a median.
Chief Shaw noted the department's traffic enforcement is one part of the solution and urged drivers to slow down: "At the end of the day it's each and every person's responsibility... slow down, be respectful." The Police Department also plans to use data from the speed trailer and enforcement activity to guide future staffing and engineering decisions.
Next steps: engineering staff said they expect signal design approval in the spring and to put projects to construction or RFP in summer 2025; police will continue targeted enforcement and share radar-trailer data with engineering and council.
