MITIGATE TRAFFIC CONGESTION

By Lance MacLean

A plan for addressing the traffic problem in Mission Viejo.

I believe our congestion problem can be attributed to the operation of the City's traffic signals as isolated islands of automation rather than as a control system for a network of streets. Widening our roadways can provide some relief but only temporarily as it addresses traffic symptomatically by providing more lanes to store standing vehicles. To truly make a positive impact on our traffic problem the city must view the streets as a network of coordinated traffic signals. All traffic signals from the freeway through Mission Viejo must be coordinated with one another to promote the flow of platoons of vehicles through the city. The Orange County Transportation Authority conducted a public opinion poll last year and found that 88% of residents favored improving signal coordination as a means of improving traffic flow. I advocate for a comprehensive traffic analysis that will help to plan essential local road improvements including traffic signal coordination in order to prevent gridlock.

To help fund these traffic improvements I would pursue seeking financial redress from those developers in the neighboring communities to our east. In addition, I would advocate to recapture some of our Measure M tax monies collected by OCTA for the Centerline project and use it for roadway improvements in Mission Viejo.