Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Too late for the baby who died

City's response to intersection hazard came too slow

Accident site
Accident site

The intersection of Catalina Boulevard and Cañon Street has been on the City's radar for a number of years, documents obtained through a public records request show.

Seven-month-old Juniper Aavang died and her father John was seriously injured while crossing at the intersection on March 2, 2015.

Previous complaints about the intersection show that residents had been concerned about vehicle speed and visibility at that precise location. In recent weeks, as reported by the Reader, the city filed a petition with the court to obtain data from the driver's vehicle computer system.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In July 2010, Point Loma resident Jon Connor requested then councilmember Kevin Faulconer's office to look into adopting some traffic-calming measures in hopes of making it safer for pedestrians.

"Mr. Connor says it is like a freeway during rush hour," read the "route slip" sent to the city traffic engineers. "People are going entirely too fast since there are no lights or speed controls in this corridor. Also, he says the right turn back onto Cañon from Catalina is dangerous since it is a complete blind spot for families with kids trying to cross. He says it's dangerous for anyone since cars are coming down without stopping at the crosswalk and they cannot see [pedestrians] on the sidewalk."

The city responded to the request with a survey it had conducted in 2006 which showed that high speed limits were not an issue at the intersection. According to the report, the 40-mile-per-hour posted speed limit fell into the 85th percentile. Accident rates at the site were also less than those at similarly classified street sections.

In September 2010, city traffic engineer Gary Pence responded to Connor directly.

"Regarding the visibility of pedestrians crossing in the crosswalk in the right turn lane on ramp to Cañon Street, our site visit revealed that vegetation near the crosswalk has been recently trimmed and the visibility has been significantly improved. We will convert this crosswalk to a ladder crosswalk which includes numerous perpendicular lines between the two existing crosswalk lines. Ladder crosswalks are more visible to drivers and are intended to enhance the safety of the crosswalk. In addition, we will replace the existing pedestrian warning signs with high visibility pedestrian florescent yellow/green warning signs on both sides of the crosswalk facing northbound traffic."

Connor's opinion of the dangerous conditions were echoed in an online petition started days after the March 2 accident.

"For decades, this intersection has plagued the residential and family-oriented nearby Point Loma community. Residents have pleaded with City and local authorities to remedy the situation, yet their concerns have remain unheard."

So far, about 1500 people have signed the petition to close the street off to vehicular traffic.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The ups and downs of Cel Cerro on a bike

Best outdoors times
Next Article

Lost Abbey finds a new way

Best drinking in San Diego
Accident site
Accident site

The intersection of Catalina Boulevard and Cañon Street has been on the City's radar for a number of years, documents obtained through a public records request show.

Seven-month-old Juniper Aavang died and her father John was seriously injured while crossing at the intersection on March 2, 2015.

Previous complaints about the intersection show that residents had been concerned about vehicle speed and visibility at that precise location. In recent weeks, as reported by the Reader, the city filed a petition with the court to obtain data from the driver's vehicle computer system.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In July 2010, Point Loma resident Jon Connor requested then councilmember Kevin Faulconer's office to look into adopting some traffic-calming measures in hopes of making it safer for pedestrians.

"Mr. Connor says it is like a freeway during rush hour," read the "route slip" sent to the city traffic engineers. "People are going entirely too fast since there are no lights or speed controls in this corridor. Also, he says the right turn back onto Cañon from Catalina is dangerous since it is a complete blind spot for families with kids trying to cross. He says it's dangerous for anyone since cars are coming down without stopping at the crosswalk and they cannot see [pedestrians] on the sidewalk."

The city responded to the request with a survey it had conducted in 2006 which showed that high speed limits were not an issue at the intersection. According to the report, the 40-mile-per-hour posted speed limit fell into the 85th percentile. Accident rates at the site were also less than those at similarly classified street sections.

In September 2010, city traffic engineer Gary Pence responded to Connor directly.

"Regarding the visibility of pedestrians crossing in the crosswalk in the right turn lane on ramp to Cañon Street, our site visit revealed that vegetation near the crosswalk has been recently trimmed and the visibility has been significantly improved. We will convert this crosswalk to a ladder crosswalk which includes numerous perpendicular lines between the two existing crosswalk lines. Ladder crosswalks are more visible to drivers and are intended to enhance the safety of the crosswalk. In addition, we will replace the existing pedestrian warning signs with high visibility pedestrian florescent yellow/green warning signs on both sides of the crosswalk facing northbound traffic."

Connor's opinion of the dangerous conditions were echoed in an online petition started days after the March 2 accident.

"For decades, this intersection has plagued the residential and family-oriented nearby Point Loma community. Residents have pleaded with City and local authorities to remedy the situation, yet their concerns have remain unheard."

So far, about 1500 people have signed the petition to close the street off to vehicular traffic.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Eurovan man can

Best services
Next Article

Peaceful, eaze-y feeling

The evolution of San Diego's dope delivery
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader