EIR under way for Jimmy Durante roundabout

By Bianca Kaplanek DEL

MAR — Will it make traffic worse? Could it actually decrease pedestrian safety? What’s the rush?

Those were some of the questions from the 40 or so residents who attended an April 30 scoping meeting at City Hall Annex to identify issues that should be studied as part of the environmental impact review process for proposed changes at the intersection of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and San Dieguito Drive.

Directors from the Planning, Public Works and Engineering departments, who were on hand with traffic and environmental consultants, said the long-established community plan calls for citywide improvements that discourage automobiles and make Del Mar more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.

Changes to the intersection at the north entrance to the city have been in the works for about three years and were part of an ongoing citywide sidewalk improvement project.

A roundabout was proposed when plans were made in that area of town. After residents voiced concerns about the traffic calming device it was pulled for a separate study to avoid delaying that project.

“It made sense to not do work twice but clearly people wanted a more extensive look,” Public Works Director Eric Minicilli said.

The project calls for a roundabout with a 64-foot inside diameter, curbs and gutters, landscaping and crosswalks to slow speeds, improve traffic flow and pedestrian and bicycle safety.

“The intersection, broken as it is, works,” Barbara Stegman, who lives on San Dieguito Drive, said.

Minicilli agreed, saying Jimmy Durante currently “does an excellent job pushing cars” through the area at 45 or 50 mph with not a lot of accidents.

“It does what it was designed to do,” he said, adding that city of- ficials have discussed making the area safer.

“Clearly it’s safer to have lower speeds,” he said. While some residents have said they don’t want decreased speeds, that conflicts with the community plan, he added.

Minicilli said doing nothing is a viable option but other people have said they want to slow down cars on that part of the road.

Some residents said they fear a roundabout will make things worse, especially during the San Diego County Fair and summer horse racing season.

They claim it will draw people leaving the fairgrounds because unlike the current situation motorists will be able to legally turn around at the intersection to get back to the freeway.

They say traffic will likely come to a standstill and residents of San Dieguito Drive won’t be able exit their neighborhood.

Stegman said traffic during peak seasons has already “wiped out our ability to get out.”

Betty Wheeler asked the con-