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Escondido commission approves morning no-left-turn to curb Gamble Street cut-throughs
Summary
After reviewing multi-year speed and volume data and hearing resident concerns about drag racing, the commission approved a no-left-turn restriction from westbound El Norte Parkway into Gamble Street between 6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.; the measure passed 5–0 and staff said enforcement and monitoring will continue.
The City of Escondido Transportation and Community Safety Commission voted 5–0 on July 9 to place no-left-turn signs on westbound El Norte Parkway into Gamble Street during the morning peak (6:30–9 a.m.) to limit cut-through traffic and reduce conflict at the neighborhood entry.
Staff presented historical evaluations and recent traffic counts, noting prior engineering work and data from radar-feedback signs, an Armadillo street-mounted device and a third-party cellular-data vendor. Staff said the most recent summary showed 85th-percentile speeds near 31–32 mph and typical daily volumes around 900–1,100 vehicles, and recommended a targeted turn restriction rather than new physical calming that could reduce parking or affect emergency response times. “So at this time, we are recommending no left turns in the morning from 06:30 to 9AM, the peak hour,” said Ali Shad, the City Traffic Engineer, during the presentation.
A resident who identified herself as Evelyn told the commission she lives at the corner of Pear Tree Place and Gamble and described persistent high speeds and racing on the street: “We have drag racing. We have guys passing each other. We have people going 50 plus miles an hour daily.” Police staff said enforcement will continue. A police representative told commissioners, “we will continue to go out as needed and conduct enforcement and be present as a deterrent to hopefully keep those speeds under control as well.”
Commissioners asked staff where the signs would be mounted; staff said standard practice is to place turn-prohibition signs on both the near and far sides of the intersection so drivers see them twice. With those clarifications made, the commission approved the signage and directed staff to implement the restriction and monitor its effect.
The decision implements a time-limited, regulatory change rather than physical measures such as speed humps; staff said they will evaluate enforcement and data trends after installation and report back if additional steps are warranted.
