Sightless Intersection

Why is the Valley Club unwilling to mitigate the dangerous traffic situation at the intersection of Sheffield Drive and East Valley Road? State Route 192 is a well-traveled thoroughfare between Ortega Road and Montecito Village and an escape from peak traffic gridlock on Highway 101.

For a number of years, Valley Club, County Transportation and Caltrans have been made aware of an accident in the making. When stopped at the Sheffield stop sign, the fence on Valley Club property on the southeast corner of Sheffield Drive and Highway 192 obstructs the ability of drivers traveling north on Sheffield to see oncoming vehicles on Highway 192 traveling east-to-west. To see oncoming traffic requires edging one’s vehicle half-way over the white stop line to get an unobstructed view of oncoming traffic from the right and directly into the line-of-transit of vehicles heading west-to-east.

Caltrans will only consider a 3-way stop if evidence of accidents demonstrates a problem requiring review. Currently the Valley Club continues to be intransigent to ameliorating this significant safety issue.

Suggestions include:

• Removal of the dark green plastic braided into the chain link fence and dense foliage along East Valley Road, providing a clearer line-of-site for oncoming cars.

• Move the current corner fence line back to provide a clear line-of-sight of traffic driving west.

If these two solutions continue to be ignored, the Montecito Planning Commission and county, through Supervisor Das Williams, can impose a hold on any Valley Club proposed development until the issue of the fence is addressed.

Valley Club’s lack of response to solving the current situation seems to support the premise that the club is waiting for an accident and subsequent lawsuit to occur.