1 of 3 September 15, 2026, Item #9
M EM ORAN DLJ M Cityof Poway
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
(Agenda Related Writings/Documents provided to City Council or Staff after distribution of the Agenda Packet for the September 15, 2026 Regular City Council Meeting) DATE:
TO:
FROM:
CONTACT:
SUBJECT:
September 15, 2026
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
Carrie Gallagher, City Clerk ~
(858) 668-4535 or [email protected]
Item 9 -An Ordinance Adopting the 2026 Engineering and Traffic Survey Attached please find correspondence received after the agenda posting deadline.
Tracy evens
Assistant City Manager
Reviewed By:
Alan Fenstermacher
City Attorney
Approved By:
ChrisHazel
City Manager
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2 of 3 September 15, 2026, Item #9
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Adam Phenis
~
Public Comment for September 15, 2026 Agenda Item 9 -2026 Engineering and Traffic Survey Sunday, September 13, 2026 11: 13:20 PM
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Dear City Clerk and Honorable Mayor and City Council,
I'm writing to submit this comment for the record ahead of the September 15th hearing on Item 9, the ordinance adopting the 2026 Engineering and Traffic Survey.
I live near Twin Peaks Middle School, and on Friday, August 14, 2026, my son was nearly hit by a driver while crossing Country Creek Road at Tierra Bonita. She was on her phone, made eye contact with him, and still started rolling forward while he was directly in front of her car. This is not an isolated event. A similar incident occurred at this same intersection on November 21, 2025, and I've heard from a number of other parents who've had close calls there as well, along with concerns about the Espola/Twin Peaks intersection, which isn't in a school zone but is a route many of our kids use to get to school.
I've also documented a broader pattern of dangerous driving at this Tierra Bonita/Twin Peaks intersection. In a June 1, 2026 email to Captain Delgado at the Poway sheriffs station, I reported vehicles routinely using the southbound left-turn lane on Tierra Bonita next to the middle school to bypass cars waiting to turn right, then continuing straight through the intersection, in several cases while pedestrians were in the crosswalk. During just two light cycles that morning, I documented six vehicles doing this, four during a single cycle. This isn't a one-time problem -it happened just as regularly last year and has continued into this one.
I reviewed the proposed Survey and understand that the Twin Peaks Road segment from Community Road to Espola Road, which includes the Twin Peaks/Tierra Bonita intersection, is recommended for reduction from 45 to 40 mph. I support that change. However, Tierra Bonita Road itself, from Twin Peaks Road to Ipava Drive, which includes the Country Creek Road crossing where my son was nearly hit, is recommended to remain unchanged at 35 mph, and I did not find any school-zone-specific measures addressed anywhere in this item.
Given that this Survey is being adopted through the standard CVC/CA MUTCD 85th-percentile process rather than a school-safety-specific review, I'd ask the Council to also direct staff to bring back the following before the ordinance's final adoption on October 6th:
1 . Extending school zone signage along Tierra Bonita past the Rattlesnake Creek trail crossing to the middle of the rodeo grounds, the full distance allowed under the 1,000-foot rule. •
2. Enforcing and clearly marking the visibility requirements already in state law-California's daylighting law, Vehicle Code Section 22500(n)(1 )(A), which prohibits stopping or parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk. Vehicles routinely sit in that zone near the stop signs, blocking the sightline our kids depend on to cross safely. I have seen officers ask those vehicles to move multiple times, but the parking returns as soon as they leave
3. Using the authority under AB-382 to lower the speed limit from 25 to 20 mph in our school zones now, rather than waiting for the state's 2031 deadline.
I'd also note that despite outreach to Captain Delgado, Councilmember de Hoff, and Mayor Vaus going back to November 2025, and continued follow-up with Councilmember de Hoff since June of this year, a review of this year's Council agendas and minutes shows this issue has never previously come before the Council as a formal item -this Survey is the first time it's been adjacent to a Council decision, and even
3 of 3 September 15, 2026, Item #9
then, only incidentally. This intersection's history goes back further than this year, too: city records show safety measures added here as far back as 1995 and 2004, each time only after a specific incident, without a lasting resolution. I'd ask that this round result in something more durable.
I understand Tuesday night is only the first reading, and I appreciate the opportunity to weigh in before final adoption. I'll also be speaking at the meeting to expand on these points. Thank you for your attention to this and for the work already underway.
Sincerely,
Adam