VRU Areas In Sun City West ?
VRU AREAS:
PROTECTING SUN CITY WEST
Sun City West is a community where people drive cars, travel by golf cart, walk, bicycle, use mobility scooters and cross our streets every day. Our roads are shared by many different types of users, and keeping everyone safe requires more than simply telling people to “watch out.”
It means identifying where safety concerns exist, understanding why they occur and working together to find practical solutions.
THIS IS AN EXPLORATORY PROCESS
It is important to understand that this is still an exploratory process. No final VRU areas have been designated.
PORA is gathering information, reviewing available data and talking with residents, law enforcement, transportation officials and community organizations to better understand where traffic-safety concerns may exist.
Community input is an important part of this process.
Before any recommendations are made, PORA wants to hear from the people who use these roads every day. Residents know their community, their intersections and their traffic patterns—and their firsthand experiences can help identify concerns that may not appear in crash statistics alone.
This is about gathering facts, asking questions and exploring possible solutions—not making decisions before the information is available.
WHAT IS A VRU AREA?
VRU stands for Vulnerable Road User.
A VRU designation identifies a specific area where vulnerable road users may face an elevated safety risk and where additional attention, study or safety improvements may be appropriate.
In Sun City West, vulnerable road users can include pedestrians, bicyclists, golf-cart users and mobility-scooter users, along with the drivers who share our roads with them.
A VRU approach can help identify locations where there may be concerns involving:
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Excessive or inappropriate speeding
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A history of crashes
- Frequent near-misses or safety concerns
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Heavy or complicated traffic patterns
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Roadway or intersection design
- Limited visibility
- Areas where different types of road users frequently interact
WHAT DOES A VRU DESIGNATION MEAN?
A VRU designation is essentially a way of saying:
“This is an area where we need to take a closer look at road safety.”
It can help local officials, transportation agencies and community organizations identify a specific location for additional study and consideration of potential safety improvements.
Potential improvements could include better signage, pavement markings, lighting, visibility improvements, traffic-calming measures, intersection changes or other strategies appropriate for the location.
A VRU designation does not automatically change the speed limit. It also does not mean that a particular improvement has already been approved or that restrictions will automatically be placed on drivers, golf carts or other road users.
Instead, the designation can help focus attention on a problem area and create an opportunity to study the facts and determine what, if anything, should be done.
THE GOAL IS SIMPLE:
PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS.
IDENTIFYING THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM AREAS
PORA has been working with local agencies and community organizations to better understand where traffic-safety concerns may exist.
The Posse and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) helped identify areas on our map with significant speeding concerns and locations with a history of traffic crashes.
Among the locations currently being reviewed are:
- Camino del Sol & R.H. Johnson — 15 non-injury crashes and 2 injury crashes
- Meeker & Grand — 6 non-injury crashes and 3 injury crashes
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Meeker & Camino — 4 non-injury crashes
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These locations are being reviewed—not designated.
They represent starting points for further discussion and investigation.
MORE INFORMATION IS COMING
PORA is receiving a five-year study from MCSO examining crashes and speeding throughout Sun City West.
Once that information is available, PORA will be able to evaluate a much broader picture of where crashes, speeding and other traffic-safety concerns are occurring.
We will share the findings with residents when the five-year information is available.
THIS HAS BEEN A COMMUNITY EFFORT
Traffic safety is not just a PORA issue—it is a community issue.
Residents have been kept informed through The Independent, PORA's website and e-blasts, Recreation Centers of Sun City West e-blasts and social media.
Companies located within Sun City West have also been notified in writing about speeding concerns and the potential for VRU areas, giving them an opportunity to make their employees aware of the concerns and encourage safer driving.
The issue has also been discussed by the Roads & Safety Committee, which brings together representatives from:
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Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT)
- Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO)
- The Posse
- PRIDES
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Representatives for County Supervisor Lesko
Bringing these organizations together allows people with expertise in roads, traffic, law enforcement and community needs to work toward practical, achievable solutions.
WE NEED YOUR INPUT
This is where the community comes in.
Before PORA moves toward any recommendations, we want to hear from residents.
In Sun City West, our streets are used by cars, golf carts, bicycles, mobility scooters and pedestrians. If you use these roads, you have firsthand knowledge that can help inform this process.
Have you seen:
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Dangerous intersections?
- Excessive speeding?
- Near-misses involving golf carts, pedestrians or bicycles?
- Confusing traffic patterns?
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Areas where pedestrians, golf-cart users or mobility-scooter users are particularly vulnerable?
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Locations where visibility is poor?
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Other places where you believe safety could be improved?
Tell us what you are seeing.
Your observations, experiences and suggestions are valuable as PORA explores whether VRU areas could be an appropriate tool for improving safety in Sun City West.
NEXT ROADS & SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING
November 18 • 1:30 PM
PORA Conference Room
13815 W Camino Del Sol, Sun City West,
Residents are encouraged to attend, ask questions, share concerns and participate in the discussion.
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS.
STUDY THE FACTS.
LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY.
FIND PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS.
At this stage, there are no final decisions.
Tommy jonestk@aol.com says:
Trail Ridge Dr and RHJohnson stop light runners going too fast making it dangerous. After 3 fatal crashes over the years prompted replacing the 4 way stop sign with traffic lights has helped.
Joe Klein says:
From RH Johnson and Bell all the way to RH Johnson and Grand is a hazard. Drivers speed and run the lights constantly. Numerous accidents on this road alone.
Doug Miller says:
Yes Please to VRUs in those areas. I also believe 135th Meeker to Deer Valley needs attention as I have been hit by a car while driving a golf cart there, car drove away. Driver Behavior adjustment measures must be enforced.
Susan Colvin says:
Is the VRU designation for all of SCW or just certain areas? My understanding according to the information in the paper is if we have VRU designation it can be treated as a school zone? Is this correct? If school zones fines are double and speed possibly change? Please clarify this process for all residents? Safety changes that make residents safer are always good. Safety protocals that change standard roads into more restrictive roads like school zones need to be explained in more detail to all residents before we agree upon this. Are these more restrictive roads changes something SCW is requesting? Why was the county under the impression that all residents had already agreed to be designated as a VRU if the county approved it? At what point is there no turning back. Before or after the county board votes? Why can’t this information be sent out to residents? Or printed out to make sure all know what is happening. The newspaper is too short to go into detail for information purposes? This comment section makes it very it to type up, edit & review questions. Email works better. Do others get to see these responses?
That SCW residents were agreed upon that this is what our community wanted? I could have misunderstood
Michelle says:
I believe the speeding starts the moment a vehicle enters RHJ from Bell Road. I live just off the 1st light so I travel RHJ from that 1st light all the time. And folks come into the area doing 45-50 ALL the time and ALL day long
Mark Smith says:
The entrance to Grandview golf course on Meeker is treacherous. If you need to go left coming out of Grandview you have to cross traffic in a golf cart. With 3 lanes each way, traffic is flying by and it’s dangerous. I’m sure when Grandview was established Meeker was a sleepy little road, but not any more with the growth of Surprise since the early days of SCW.
Mark Smith says:
The entrance to Grandview golf course on Meeker is treacherous. Going left coming out of Grandview in a golf cart, with 3 lanes each way, traffic is flying by and it’s dangerous. I’m sure when Grandview was established Meeker was a sleepy little road, but not any more with the growth of Surprise since the early days of SCW.