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The Planning Group has spent much of 2026 working to address longstanding safety concerns on La Cresta Road, with a focus on gathering community input, working directly with County transportation officials, and developing practical recommendations for both near-term and longer-term improvements. The issue has been a priority because of the road’s difficult physical characteristics. Between Greenfield Drive and Mountain View Road, La Cresta Road climbs through a steep mountain corridor with eight blind or near-blind curves, limited sight distance, and long stretches with little or no usable shoulder. These conditions mean that when a driver makes an error, there is often very little room to recover or avoid a collision. February: Dedicated La Cresta Road safety page established Following a fatal collision in February, the Planning Group created a dedicated La Cresta Road safety page on this website to provide information about the issue and solicit public input. The response was substantial. More than 50 written comments were received from residents and road users. Those comments described concerns including excessive speed, tailgating, illegal passing, centerline encroachment, poor visibility, loss of control, and the lack of space available to avoid another driver’s mistake. The Planning Group reviewed that input to identify recurring concerns and potential improvements rather than relying only on individual anecdotes. March: Public discussion with County Traffic Engineering At the Planning Group’s March 9 meeting in Crest, La Cresta Road safety was the subject of a publicly noticed discussion attended by representatives of the County Department of Public Works Traffic Engineering division. County representatives listened to residents, answered questions, discussed existing roadway conditions, and reviewed potential safety measures with the community and Planning Group members. Possible near-term improvements discussed included additional reflective pavement markers, curve delineators, improved guardrail reflectors, speed-feedback signs, enhanced signage, and reviews of traffic controls and speed limits. The discussion also included longer-term possibilities involving shoulders, guardrails, evacuation needs, roadway widening, grant funding, and other geometric improvements. April: Formal recommendations submitted to the County Following the public meeting and review of community input, the Planning Group developed and submitted formal recommendations to the County. Those recommendations included evaluating stronger centerline protection and delineation, rumble strips or rumble striping, improved reflective striping and pavement markers, enhanced curve warnings, advisory-speed signs and chevrons, additional speed-awareness measures, coordination with the California Highway Patrol, guardrail improvements, targeted recovery areas or pull-outs where terrain permits, improved driveway and intersection sight distance, and selective changes to roadway geometry and lane separation. The Planning Group asked the County to conduct a comprehensive corridor safety review incorporating collision history, roadway geometry, and community input. The goal has been to look at La Cresta Road as a complete corridor rather than addressing individual crashes or roadway features in isolation. July: County provides progress update County Public Works representatives returned to the Planning Group’s July 13 meeting to provide an update on their work concerning La Cresta Road. County staff have been responsive throughout this process. They have come to our community, listened to residents, engaged with the Planning Group’s recommendations, and maintained an ongoing dialogue about potential improvements. The office of County Supervisor Joel Anderson has also been very supportive of the Planning Group’s efforts and concerns regarding La Cresta Road. September: Letter to Supervisor Anderson following another fatal accident The Planning Group’s most recent action was prompted by another fatal collision on La Cresta Road in September. Following that accident, Planning Group Chairman Ron Nehring sent a letter to Supervisor Anderson asking for his continued support in moving the County’s safety efforts forward with urgency. The letter asks the Supervisor to help ensure that the Department of Public Works has access to the staff attention, engineering resources, funding, grant support, and interagency coordination necessary to produce meaningful improvements. The letter does not suggest that every proposed improvement must be implemented. Instead, it asks the County to continue evaluating the corridor comprehensively and to identify a combination of near-term, intermediate, and longer-term measures that can materially reduce both the likelihood and severity of future crashes. Particular attention is being requested for the eight blind or near-blind curves, where the combination of limited visibility and lack of usable shoulder can leave motorists with almost no time or space to react when another vehicle crosses the center line. The Planning Group has now established a dedicated public information page, solicited extensive community input, held a public hearing, brought County traffic engineers directly into the community, submitted formal recommendations, requested a comprehensive corridor review, and continued to receive updates from County staff. The objective now is to build on that work and help ensure that the process results in meaningful safety improvements on La Cresta Road. 
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