Under San Diego’s new Comprehensive Speed Management Plan, dozens of road segments in La Jolla qualify for reduction under new categories.
Lower speed limits are coming to dozens of La Jolla roads in the next year as part of the city of San Diego’s new Comprehensive Speed Management Plan, released Feb 19.
The plan is the city’s strategy to address dangerous speeding as allowed by recent state laws and reduce traffic-related injuries and fatalities.
More than 180 traffic crashes in San Diego result in a death or serious injury each year, with speeding being one of the leading factors, according to the plan.
Speeding is often mentioned at many civic meetings in La Jolla, with residents actively concerned about drivers’ speeds creating hazardous conditions for others.
The La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board voted unanimously in May 2024 to urge the city to implement California Assembly Bill 43, designed to allow for the lowering of local speed limits.
AB 43, along with Assembly Bills 1938 and 382, were passed to allow cities more flexibility in reducing speed limits in specific situations: safety corridors; high pedestrian & bicyclist activity corridors; business activity districts; and school zones.
In La Jolla, the plan identifies the following safety corridors, for which speeds may be reduced up to 5 mph due to higher concentrations of fatal or serious injury crashes:
- Calle De La Plata from Torrey Pines Road to Avenida De La Playa
- La Jolla Shores Drive from El Paseo Grande to North Torrey Pines Road
- Torrey Pines Road from Prospect Place to Pottery Park Driveway
- Via Mallorca from Caminito Mallorca to Villa La Jolla Drive
- Villa La Jolla Drive from Gilman Drive to La Jolla Village Drive
The plan identifies the following La Jolla road segments as high pedestrian & bicyclist activity corridors, where speeds may be reduced up to 5 mph on streets near sidewalks, bikeways, transit and activity centers.
- Gilman Drive from Via Alicante to La Jolla Village Drive
- North Torrey Pines Road from Torrey Pines Road to Callan Road
Many of the identified safety corridor segments are also identified high pedestrian & bicyclist activity corridors and segments above qualify under more than one category of reduction and are listed once.
The following La Jolla segments are business activity districts, in which reduced speeds to 25 mph or 20 mph are allowed for commercial streets with frequent crossings and parking activity:
- Fay Avenue from Prospect to Pearl streets
- Herschel Avenue from Prospect Street to Torrey Pines Road
- Pearl Street from La Jolla Boulevard to Fay Avenue
- Prospect Street from Eads Ave to Cave Street
- Silverado Street from Fay to Ivanhoe avenues
Several segments of La Jolla roads are identified as school zones, with reduced speeds to 15 mph or 20 mph within 500 feet of schools and 25 mph between 501 and 1,000 feet on qualifying nearby approach streets; these segments are numerous around more than a dozen La Jolla schools.
All speed limit changes identified in the city’s plan require further evaluation and San Diego City Council approval, expected in the coming weeks.
Implementation is estimated to take about one year and will require new signage installed and other efforts.
