Looking for an update on UC San Diego’s plan for a system of adaptive “smart” traffic signals intended to aid traffic flow in the university area, the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board heard a progress report from a UCSD team at the board’s Oct. 17 meeting.
The “adaptive traffic signal controls” project, also known as “smart signaling,” would install traffic detection technology and modernized servers that calculate vehicle patterns to autonomously adjust signal timing in real time, based on actual traffic demand. They are built to “speak to each other” and may expedite or slightly prolong a green signal to allow for enhanced traffic flow.
UCSD proposed the system in early 2021 to cover 26 area intersections along Regents Road, North Torrey Pines Road and La Jolla Village Drive.
The project was anticipated to be completed last year, but team said unforeseen complications with the city of San Diego, including additional city requests, extended the timeline.
“We want to partner with the city and we want to do the right thing, so we did add some additional elements, which has led to an extended timeline of implementation,” said Robert Clossin, the university’s director of campus planning. “We underestimated the amount of effort that the city would require to review and be engaged. They’ve been a great partner, but it’s taken us a bit of time.”
The additional tasks include replacement of a damaged fiber optic communication cable, installation of disabled accessibility ramps and new high-visibility striping for crosswalks and bike lanes. Clossin said replacing the fiber optic cable took six to eight months.
The signal project is now expected to be completed by next summer. Final steps include approval of the revised traffic signal and striping plans, as well as obtaining a Gridsmart Detection Permit, followed by activation of the system and testing.
Greg Heldreth of Cubic Corp., a contractor with UC San Diego on the project, elaborated on the intent of the technology.
“Based upon how many people are waiting, the adaptive signals would gather information and calculate how much time is needed and how much time is needed overall to go through the cycle,” Heldreth said. “The university’s goal is that whenever traffic volumes are lower, the system will adjust.”
Clossin said the proposal relates to the school’s 2018 Long Range Development Plan and is part of a broader plan to mitigate traffic impacts associated with campus commuters.
“We expect to help with the flow of traffic as far as signals go,” he said. “They don’t solve all of our congestion problems, but during non-congested times they’re really going to help with access throughout the area.”
Heldreth emphasized that the adaptive traffic signals will not be able to eliminate traffic congestion altogether, citing the limitations of the road infrastructure.
“Adaptive traffic signals do not add asphalt; you still reach the levels of saturation,” he said. “There is not enough infrastructure, no matter what you do, except adding lanes, to be able to achieve desaturation. There are times of day on the corridors currently … when saturation occurs. We can’t fix that. We try to manage it the best we can, but when you exceed the capacity of the roadway, there is no magic wand.”
Traffic & Transportation Board Chairman Brian Earley said the level of detail in the university’s presentation far exceeded that of previous presentations.
UCSD representative Anu Delouri said in a presentation to the La Jolla Town Council in March 2021 that the city will maintain the smart signals.
“We’re paying for the maintenance and everything else, but the city will have to spearhead that effort, because once it goes in, it becomes part of the city’s infrastructure,” Delouri said at the time.
December wedding procession wins
The Traffic & Transportation Board ed the proposed partial closure of Coast Boulevard South for a ceremonial wedding procession Friday, Dec. 8.
The procession, called a baraat, is a tradition in Hindu and Sikh weddings in which the groom rides a horse or an elephant alongside family as they approach and greet the family of the bride. The procession usually includes music and dancing.
The proposed event is scheduled to take place behind the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and involve as many as 126 participants.
Event planner Sabrina Singh sought the closure of 350 feet of Coast Boulevard South between 3:30 and 5 p.m.
Though the street would be closed to public vehicle access, bystanders are welcome to dance as the procession makes its way down the road, Singh said.
Board member Eric Gantzel noted that the date of the wedding, in a slower season for the area, suggests there would be relatively minimal traffic impact.
Following the board’s unanimous approval, T&T Chairman Brian Earley commended Singh on her detailed presentation. The item is slated for review by the La Jolla Community Planning Association at its meeting in November.
Last year, the T&T Board twice voted to approve baraats for wedding ceremonies in La Jolla. One of them involved closing portions of Girard Avenue and Prospect Street on Memorial Day; the other included partial closure of Coast Boulevard on June 25.
Because of concerns about such events blocking off streets close to the beach in the summer and on weekends and holidays, the Community Planning Association in October 2022 ed guidelines recommended by T&T for criteria, standards and istrative protocols for permit requests that involve temporary street closures for private special events.
The four guidelines are:
- Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day are to be blacked out (not the weekends around them, just the actual holidays). Those dates are in addition to already-determined city blackout dates when events will not be approved due to the commitment of public safety resources such as traffic control and police officers elsewhere.
- All processions must use a “short-term street closure,” with San Diego police opening streets and parking as an event rolls through.
- Applicants are asked to connect participating hotel staff and event organizers with the T&T Board for confirmation of event times “to assure mitigation of conclusion of the procession.”
- Processions should be limited to two hours.
The guidelines were refined after T&T discussions and input from the San Diego Special Events & Filming Department, which ultimately approves permit applications for such events. ◆
