Thursday night the Ramona Community Planning Group (RCPG) held their monthly meeting. The meeting’s focus was the presentation by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) on State Route 67 safety issues.
Lt. Tommie Cocroft, of the CHP’s El Cajon office, reported to the planning group members that the most frequent causes of fatalities on SR 67 are motorcycle-involved incidents followed by alcohol-related accidents.
Educational programs focused on these two issues were expected to be implemented in the near future. Additional enforcement was also expected to begin sometime soon when funding was available.
As a solution to speeding drivers and the cost of enforcement, resident Joe Minervini suggested the placement of a “dummy” patrol car alongside the highway to deter speeding. Minervini said this would be a “cheap” idea to increase enforcement. The dummy patrol car solution was encouraged by RCPG member, Chad Anderson, as a passive enforcement solution.
Lt. Cocroft reported that the CHP is a state agency and his department is not able to acquire unused patrol cars for this purpose. Lt. Cocroft also noted that such a situation could lead to an unexpected accident as drivers slowed to view the “patrol car.”
Ramona resident Robin Joy Maxson, proposed a “call to action” by the RCPG; requesting that a standing subcommittee be activated to consistently work on safety improvements for this roadway instead of waiting for the next tragic accident to refocus efforts.
RCPG Chair, Jim Piva, suggested that Ramona hold DUI check points as a way to deter drinking and driving within our town. Currently, Poway holds such check points, but once the driver is in Ramona, there are no checks in place. Lt. Cocroft ended by saying that traffic safety is a “multi-pronged issue and, therefore, it requires a multi-pronged approach.”
