Road safety takes a front seat in Newport

June Casagrande

NEWPORT COAST -- Road improvements under consideration for Newport

Coast Drive could ease a dangerous driving situation for students,

parents and staff of Sage Hill School.

“We feel like there’s a safety issue there that needs to be resolved,”

City Manager Homer Bludau said. “The high speeds and less than ideal

visibility caused by the uneven ground there, we feel, poses a safety

situation that could be improved.”

The city has hired a traffic consulting firm to look at ways to make

it safer to enter and exit the school’s parking lot. A report could be

received in about a month, but it’s likely that the changes won’t take

place until the next school year, Bludau said.

Though the city is waiting on recommendations from the consultants,

Bludau specified a number of alternatives that could take form in front

of the school.

Adding traffic signals might be one option. Widening the road near the

school could also help by creating an extra lane to give drivers time to

build up enough speed to merge safely with the fast-moving Newport Coast

Drive drivers. The city also might opt to build better entrances to the

school’s parking lot or even add turn lanes on the street.

“Everything is on the table at this point for the consultant to

consider what will be the safest and what the costs of the improvements

will be,” Bludau said.

The private high school on Newport Coast Drive, a wide-open stretch of

road known for attracting speeders, moved officially within city borders

when Newport Coast was annexed Jan. 1.

Soon after, the Police Department launched an aggressive anti-speeding

campaign there, pulling over drivers to warn them that some of the things

they could get away with under the county’s jurisdiction won’t fly with

Newport Beach. Excessive speeders, including one motorcyclist who

exceeded 120 mph, have been punished.

Road improvements at the school are yet another step to improving

safety there. Bludau said the improvements under consideration have not

been prompted by any recent complaints or problems. Instead, he said the

city wants to correct a dangerous situation before a problem occurs.

“Had the school grounds been in the city before it was built, we would

have wanted things to be done differently,” he said.

The city’s efforts have been noticed.

“We have definitely noticed the police presence after Jan. 1 and are

glad about it,” said Suzanne McLaughlin, Sage Hill School’s director of

development. “We’re very pleased and are supportive of their efforts to

improve the safety for the surrounding community, as well as for students

and faculty here, and we’re looking forward to hearing the outcomes of

the report and the recommendations that they are going to make.”