One-Way Canyon Road Proposal Clears First Hurdle

The Santa Fe Finance Committee Monday approved a proposal to temporarily turn a portion of Canyon Road into a one-way thoroughfare.

The resolution directs city officials to shift all traffic eastbound on a two block section from Paseo de Peralta to Delgado Street. The change would be on a one-year trial basis.

Goals include improving traffic flow and congestion, according to a city memo. The road isn’t wide enough to accommodate two-traffic and parking along one side, officials said.

The memo also says the intersection of Paseo de Peralta and Canyon Road has a high number of crashes “compared to that predicted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official’s ‘Highway Safety Manual’.”

“This high crash rate can be attributed to the limited sight distance for westbound Canyon Road traffic looking south onto Paseo de Peralta and the intersection’s proximity to the Paseo de Peralta and East Alameda intersection,” the memo said. “By designating Canyon Road as a one-way eastbound, conflicts and issues with westbound traffic at this intersection will be eliminated.”

A city analysis of traffic patterns between February 2009 and July 2011 showed westbound traffic on that section of road comprises about 22 percent of daily traffic, or around 480 cars.

Canyon Road is already one-way eastbound from Delgado Street to Camino del Monte Sol.

The proposal hasn’t met with universal favor. Reaction was mixed at an early neighborhood notification meeting held in May, according to city officials. Objections include the inconvenience to nearby residents, potential parking problems and the possibility that a better solution can be found, such as keeping two-way traffic and eliminating on-street parking.