Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 3.G
Meeting Date: June 10, 2026
From: John A. Corella, Director of Public Works
Title: Adopt the 2026 Local Roadway Safety Plan for Submittal to California Department of Transportation
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt the 2026 Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP); and authorize the City Engineer to submit the final LRSP to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
BACKGROUND:
A Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) provides a structured, data-driven framework to identify, analyze, and prioritize roadway safety improvements on local streets. While California’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) establishes statewide goals to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries, LRSPs allow local agencies to address the specific safety needs of their communities while supporting the broader SHSP vision.
The City of Cathedral City adopted its current LRSP in June 2021. In accordance with Caltrans requirements, LRSPs must be updated and revalidated at least every five (5) years to maintain eligibility for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding. The city has successfully secured approximately $9 million in HSIP funding across Cycles 8 through 12, underscoring the importance of maintaining a current and compliant LRSP.
On January 14, 2026, the City Council approved a professional services agreement with Iteris, Inc. to update and revalidate the city’s LRSP.
On May 13, 2026, Engineering staff and Iteris, Inc. presented the draft LRSP to the City Council during a Study Session to provide an overview of the plan, present key findings, and receive feedback from the City Council. During the Study Session, City Council asked clarifying questions regarding the collision data analysis, project prioritization process, and proposed countermeasures. City Council expressed no concerns with the data or recommendations presented and indicated that the findings aligned with their expectations regarding roadway safety concerns throughout the city.
One discussion topic raised during the Study Session was how property damage only (PDO) collisions compared to the fatal and severe injury collision data utilized within the LRSP.
While PDO collision data is not included within the LRSP itself, as the plan is intended to focus on reducing fatal and severe injury collisions consistent with HSIP and Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) priorities, PDO collision data is provided within this staff report for background and comparison purposes.
DISCUSSION:
Following the Study Session, Engineering staff and Iteris, Inc. reviewed and incorporated City Council and staff comments into the final LRSP. Updates included revisions to document formatting and graphics, addition of a project summary table and citywide project location map, revisions to project cost estimates and benefit-cost ratios (BCRs), and separation of the Ramon Road Class IV bikeway improvements into a standalone priority project.
The LRSP analyzed collision data from 2020 through 2024 and identified 464 injury collisions resulting in 824 injuries, including 30 fatalities and 59 serious injuries. The analysis found that collisions involving pedestrians and bicyclists represented a disproportionately high percentage of fatal collisions, reinforcing the need to prioritize improvements for vulnerable roadway users.
Development of the LRSP included review of collision data, stakeholder coordination with city departments and partner agencies, and field assessments to identify high-risk corridors and intersections throughout the city. The analysis identified common contributing factors including unsafe speed, impaired driving, right-of-way violations, and improper turning movements.
Based on these findings, the LRSP recommends a range of safety countermeasures including signal timing modifications, enhanced pedestrian crossings, speed management treatments, protected bicycle facilities, and targeted intersection improvements. The plan identifies 17 priority intersection locations for future safety investments and grant funding opportunities:
Cathedral Canyon Drive and East Palm Canyon Drive
Ramon Road and Whispering Palms Trail
Ramon Road and Crossley Road
Date Palm Drive and Victoria Drive
Cathedral Canyon Drive and 33rd Avenue
Date Palm Drive and 35th Avenue
Date Palm Drive and Tachevah Drive
Ramon Road and Avenida Maravilla/Cathedral Canyon Drive Vista Chino and Landau Boulevard
Date Palm Drive and Vista Chino
Ramon Road and Date Palm Drive
East Palm Canyon Drive and Perez Road
Ramon Road and Desert Vista Road
Mountain View Road and Varner Road
Date Palm Drive and McCallum Way
San Luis Rey Drive and Mission Drive
Santoro Drive and Cypress Road
The LRSP identifies the following priority projects for future implementation and grant funding:
Project 1 – Intersection Sight Line, Protected Phasing, and Median Revision Improvements
This project includes targeted upgrades such as protected turn phases, enhanced pedestrian intervals, improved sight distance and lighting, median modifications, turn movement restrictions, flashing beacons, speed warning signs, guardrails, and other safety enhancements at selected intersections throughout the city.
Project 2 – Date Palm Drive Safety Improvements
This project includes new traffic signals at Date Palm Drive and 35th Avenue and Date Palm Drive and Tachevah Drive, protected left-turn phasing, enhanced pedestrian crossings, corridor lighting improvements, and signal timing modifications, and additional intersection safety enhancements along Date Palm Drive intended to improve operations and reduce conflict points for all roadway users.
Project 3 – Ramon Road Operational and Safety Improvements This project includes operational and safety improvements along Ramon Road throughout the city limits, such as signal timing updates, leading pedestrian intervals, visibility enhancements, upgraded striping, parking restrictions, dynamic speed feedback signs, and intersection safety improvements intended to improve conditions for all roadway users.
Project 4 – Santoro Drive Bicycle Lanes and Traffic Calming Elements This project would implement bicycle lane improvements and traffic calming measures along Santoro Drive from McCallum Way to 30th Avenue, including connections to James Workman Middle School. Improvements may include bicycle facilities, speed management treatments, pavement markings, and related multimodal safety enhancements intended to improve conditions for vulnerable roadway users and reduce vehicle speeds within the corridor.
Since the Study Session on May 13, 2026, the separated Class IV bicycle lane improvements along Ramon Road were separated from Project 3 and are now identified as a standalone Project 5 to better reflect the scope, cost, and funding competitiveness of the bicycle infrastructure improvements.
Project 5 – Ramon Road Class IV Separated Bikeway
This project includes the implementation of separated Class IV bicycle lane improvements along Ramon Road throughout the city limits to enhance multimodal safety and connectivity for bicyclists and pedestrians while reducing vehicle conflict points. Proposed improvements include protected bicycle facilities, upgraded striping, and related safety enhancements intended to improve conditions for all roadway users along the Ramon Road corridor.
This project was identified through the LRSP based on roadway operational characteristics, multimodal considerations, and collision data analysis along the Ramon Road corridor. The LRSP was prepared as a planning-level document intended to identify potential safety improvements and funding opportunities throughout the corridor.
As the project advances into preliminary engineering and design, additional evaluation of corridor constraints, utilities, driveway access, and available right-of-way will be required to determine the most feasible implementation approach for Class IV separated bicycle facilities in specific segments of the corridor. The final design may include adjustments to the proposed improvements based on these engineering evaluations and coordination efforts.
Property Damage Collision Data
Consistent with Caltrans LRSP guidance and HSIP funding priorities, the LRSP focuses on fatal and severe injury collisions to identify projects that will provide the greatest safety benefit and reduction in serious roadway injuries and fatalities. As such, property damage only (PDO) collision data was not utilized as a primary factor in project prioritization within the LRSP.
For background and comparison purposes, PDO collision data is summarized below, with a detailed comparison of injury and PDO collisions at high-frequency locations included as Attachment 2.
Over the five-year analysis period, there were 624 PDO collisions compared to 464 injury collisions, consistent with the prior LRSP period. PDO and injury collisions generally occur along similar major corridors and intersections, though not always at the same individual locations.
Some intersections show higher injury counts relative to PDO collisions (Cathedral Canyon Drive/East Palm Canyon Drive), while others show higher PDO collisions (East Palm Canyon Drive/Date Palm Drive and Date Palm Drive/Dinah Shore Drive), reflecting differences in collision severity at similar high-activity locations.
Overall, the LRSP establishes a comprehensive, data-driven framework to guide roadway safety improvements throughout the city while supporting continued eligibility and competitiveness for future grant opportunities, including HSIP, Active Transportation Program (ATP), and Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) implementation funding.
City staff recommend that City Council adopt the 2026 Local Roadway Safety Plan and authorize the City Engineer to submit the final LRSP to Caltrans.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with adoption of the updated LRSP. Adoption of the LRSP is necessary to maintain eligibility for federal and state transportation safety grant programs and supports the city’s ability to secure external funding for future Capital Improvement Program (CIP) safety projects identified within the plan.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal B – Community Investment
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed, and maintained.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Final 2026 Local Roadway Safety Plan
2. Injury vs. Property Damage Only Collision Data Comparison