Clairemont

Clairemont residents call on city leaders to make traffic safety improvements

The call for action comes after a deadly hit-and-run crash and other incidents.

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Some people who live in Clairemont want city leaders to put better traffic safety measures in place for pedestrians. NBC 7’s Omari Fleming reports.

Some people who live in Clairemont say they need the city's help to keep people safe. They want city leaders to put better traffic safety measures in place for pedestrians. The call for action comes after a recent deadly hit-and-run crash and other incidents.

“This is one of those sad things I hate to see in my neighborhood," lifelong Clairemont resident and former politician Lori Saldaña said as she narrated video appearing to show a pedestrian hit by a car on Appleton Street and New Haven Road in late December.

In mid-January, a hit-and-run driver killed a woman a mile-and-a-half away on Genesee Avenue and Mount Etna Drive.

Woman dies after hit-and-run in Clairemont, police say
San Diego police confirm a woman was hit and killed by a car at Genesee Avenue and Mount Etna Drive on Jan. 17, 2025.

“People who do want to walk there, they feel like they're taking their lives in their hands," Saldaña said.

The car versus pedestrian crashes and close calls have some people pushing city leaders to make some changes in the area.

"There's just days where you just hear the car vroom just, you know, go down the street," Clairemont native Brooke Bolton said. "It's like what is going on?"

She worries about her four kids. That includes Juri.

“I was, like, riding my bike right down here, and I just did a little jump right there, and I just saw someone going like 300 mph,” Juri said.

“We’ve got a lot of kids on the street, and it just freaks us out," Bolton said. "And plus, animals. So, we've had animals killed on the street."

Residents say the lack of all-way stop signs for about four blocks on Appleton Street facilitates speeding.

"It goes down without any stop signs towards Genesee, and people just literally gather speed as they're heading down," Saldaña said.

A speed radar sign was installed on Appleton Street.
A speed radar sign on Appleton Street in Clairemont on Jan. 30, 2025.

Neighbors say the traffic safety problems are also exacerbated by new multi-unit housing and GPS trackers steering people to cut through.

Councilmember Jennifer Campbell’s office says there's an active traffic study being conducted on Appleton Street, at the request of her office, so the transportation department can determine what may be needed.

"Traffic calming, putting in some additional stop signs in the streets leading to Genesee. I can say at that one at the top of the hill, it's a two-way stop, but it doesn't stop on Appleton,” Saldaña said.

“I wish people would just be more courteous," Bolton said. "If you need to go through the street to cut through, that's fine. Just, you know, maybe abide by the speed limit, you know, like, think about other people. This is a residential area. There are families."

In her 2026 budget priorities memo, Campbell listed funding a number of safety improvements in Clairemont. Some of those improvements include improved crosswalks and optimizing traffic signals.

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