More Traffic

According to the draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on the proposed development, adding 128 new homes will have a negligible impact on traffic. During rush hour at the already congested intersection of Santiago Canyon Road and Cannon Street, cars frequently back up to the Holy Sepulcher Cemetery on Santiago Canyon Road. Add to that an estimated 11,000 more daily car trips from the Santiago Hills II (The Irvine Company 1,180-home entitled development) near Santiago Canyon Road and Jamboree. So how does Milan claim a less than 1% impact on traffic? According to Milan’s traffic engineer that impact was not factored in.

Milan promises to fund some traffic improvements to add a merging lane (for the new residents to exit) onto Santiago Canyon Road and a dedicated turn lane on to Cannon. But how will restriping and adding a merging lane solve this daily nightmare for the rest of us???

Many of the complaints sent to the City regarding this proposed development focused on traffic-related issues. Residents say the current traffic nightmare is negatively affecting their quality of life – commuters can’t get home in time to eat dinner with their families. Parents picking up kids from after-school activities get stuck in a long line of cars. Other residents expressed concern over the alarming number of accidents – many fatal on Santiago Canyon Road. Those commuting to the business district in Irvine (only 15 miles away) say it regularly takes upwards of an hour to get home.

How will this affect neighborhoods moving forward? Homeowners that live on Santiago Canyon Road put their lives in jeopardy every day trying to exit their driveways. These residents claim Santiago Canyon Road was never intended to handle this much traffic. Their frustration is evidenced by the high number of “for sale” signs now along this thoroughfare.

To avoid this traffic jam will prospective homebuyers avoid communities north of Santiago Canyon Road? This would put these communities – Parkridge, Serrano Heights, Crest de Ville and Mabury Ranch at an economic disadvantage over those in this proposed development.

Please tell the City you don’t want to see more traffic at this dangerous intersection!