Council to Vote on Stop Signs for 69th Street

Lemon Grove is set to give the green light to two sets of stop signs to be installed along a portion of 69th Street under an agreement with the City of San Diego.

The City Council will vote on the resolution during Tuesday’s meeting at the Community Center. If approved, the new signs are expected to be installed in the spring, according to City Manager Graham Mitchell, creating all-way stops on 69th Street at the Klauber Avenue/Daventry Street and Gibson Street/Dartmoor Drive intersections. Traffic is currently regulated with two-way stops at those sites, with 69th Street having the right-of-way. 

The need for additional stops arose from a resident’s concern about speed and visibility along that stretch of the street, which is the border between the two cities and maintained jointly by San Diego and Lemon Grove.

The city will benefit from the addition in more ways that one. San Diego will pick up the tab for the signs, since the road that is unimproved and has a greater sight distance issue is on the San Diego side.

An Aug. 5 complaint letter was reviewed by Mayor Mary Sessom and staff from both cities, and after meeting with residents who voiced alarm about speeding, traffic problems, pedestrian issues and a lack of street improvements, an evaluation was ordered, according to a staff report.

As a result, San Diego recommended the stop signs and pavement markings "due to limited visibility caused by horizontal and vertical curves” on 69th Street, says the report.

The Council’s approval will authorize San Diego to go ahead with the installation, which could take up to 120 days.

The City Council meets at 6 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of the month at the Community Center.