Old Town to Get New Stop Signs

New stop signs planned for Old Town aim to make the area friendlier for pedestrians.

The intersections of Sixth and Mercedes streets and Third and Front streets were slated to become four-way stops.

The Temecula Planning Commission approved the plan Thursday.

The city chose those intersections out of several others residents recommended, said Jerry Gonzalez, an associate engineer with the city.

The Mercedes-Sixth intersection was chosen because drivers have difficulty seeing around the bend in the road, and the Farmers Market draws a lot of pedestrians on Saturdays.

“That was a good location because of the visibility and the amount of foot traffic,” he said.

The city considered the intersection of Front and Second streets, but opted for the Third-Front intersection because it was farther from the signal at Front and Santiago roads, and Third Street leads to the new parking structure, which draws a lot of traffic, Gonzalez said.

The stop signs aim to make Old Town more walkable, he said. “We want to encourage pedestrian activity from the parking garage and Old Town Front Street,” he said.

The plan includes putting up two new stop signs at each intersection and restriping the road. It will cost $3,000, the planner said.