MISSION VIEJO : Speeders See the Errors of Their Ways

As a runner puffed past a tall metal sign and digital display screen, he smiled as he spotted a readout of his speed.

“Twenty miles per hour--not bad,” he quipped between gasps.

But like the morning commute traffic streaming down Marguerite Parkway, he then slowed down.

That’s the goal. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department hopes that the first radar speed display unit recently bought for use by deputies will be a valuable tool in slowing traffic down.

As South County continues its rapid growth, the city has grown concerned about the increasing numbers of commuters using such major streets as Marguerite Parkway to escape often-clogged Interstate 5. Rancho Santa Margarita residents, who have no major highway nearby, must also use Mission Viejo streets to exit and enter their community.

“There are too many streets with a high volume of traffic” in Mission Viejo, Sheriff’s Lt. George Johnson said. “A lot of people are preoccupied with their day, and we hope the radar trailer will educate them about watching their speed.”

Last fall, the City Council authorized $7,000 to buy the radar trailer in hope that it will help reduce the 1,200 accidents occurring in Mission Viejo annually.

Already used in several other county cities, the unit made its Mission Viejo debut Friday. Sheriff’s deputies said it had an immediate impact.

“It’s just phenomenal to watch people react to it,” Johnson said. “Their immediate reaction is to take their foot off the gas, and their speed probably drops off an average of at least 5 m.p.h.”

Although Johnson stresses that the radar unit will mainly be used as a deterrent, occasionally sheriff’s deputies will be ticketing speeders to keep traffic honest.

“It won’t get people to stop speeding all by itself,” he said, “but in conjunction with traffic enforcement, I believe it will have a positive influence on speed in town.”