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Figure 6-1: Sample Modification to La Madera Ave and Lower Azusa Rd Intersection
Table 6-1 is a summary of countermeasures that are proven in reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries. El Monte is an excellent candidate for grants, both due to its demographics and its geographic layout.
El Monte’s geographic layout has shown it to have an excellent transportation grid network. It is a good city that could be a great city with a few improvements. One of the most important improvements to make in the City of El Monte is two-way stop-controlled intersections on major roadways, which are nearly ubiquitous on multi-lane roadways throughout El Monte. There are relatively few signalized crossings between major intersections in the City. That is, there are relatively few pedestrian-specific beacons and signals such as the Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon, the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon, and traditional pedestrian signals. Moreover, two-way stop-controlled intersections on major roadways pose a special challenge for motorists trying to navigate 32 conflict points and judge gaps with high-speed on-coming traffic from multiple directions. One solution is to implement what is known as a Restricted Crossing Intersection (RCI).
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A RCI is a non-traditional intersection that can reduce the number of points of conflicts, ease traffic movements, and enhance traffic safety. In an RCI, side-street (minor cross street) traffic is prohibited from turning left or traveling straight through the mainline intersection. Instead, motorists on the minor street are only allowed to turn right.
There is a nuanced difference between the RCI and the Restricted Crossing U-Turn (RCUT.) The RCI is more common in urban areas, such as El Monte, and U-Turns are not required for the subsequent intersection, given that often U-turns can be made at the first signalized intersection and triple right turns can be made with the same effect. There are various options to keep connectivity and accessibility to all destinations. The RCUT, by contrast, tend to be in rural areas. To navigate the RCUT, motorists will turn right onto the main road from the minor road and do a legal U-turn at a nearby crossover.
RCIs have many benefits. In addition to allowing for a more efficient movement of traffic, RCIs reduce the total number of conflict points, thereby limiting collision opportunities and, typically, the severity of such collisions. The safety benefit of the RCI is that the number of conflict points at the intersection is reduced from 32 to 16. RCIs are cost-effective measures that reduce the number of turning and angle collisions, simplify driver decisions, and reduce the number of auto-auto conflict points, plus reduce the auto-vulnerable road user conflict points.
RCIs have significant safety benefits for people walking and bicycling. One of the most unsafe conflicts for people walking and bicycling is when motorists have to turn left and be vigilant about other motorists from both the left and the right, as opposed to just one side. A common collision that occurs is the motorist’s attention is in the opposite direction of the person walking or bicycling and a crash occurs as the motorist travels left or through. The RCI eliminates left movements and through movements for motorists on the minor road, thereby dramatically increasing safety for non-motorized road users.
There are many places in El Monte where implementing an RCI is appropriate, but the first place this Plan recommends is to place one at the intersection of Lower Azusa Road at La Madera Avenue, as shown in Figure 6-1. An example of a constructed RCI is shown in Figure 6-2. Based on research of the region, there appear to be no RCIs in El Monte or nearby cities. There is, however, at the intersection of Asher St and Peck Rd in El Monte a median island that restricts both through movement of the minor road and left turns from the major road, as seen in Figure 6-3.
Figure 6-1: Sample Modification to La Madera Ave and Lower Azusa Rd Intersection
