Yavapai County has installed new signs along Jacks Canyon Road to alert motorists that equestrians may be using the area, and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has also bolstered its speed enforcement efforts along that stretch of road, which leads toward Pine Valley.
Before the equestrian warning signs were installed, the speed limit on the road was reduced to 25 mph from the previous limit of 35 mph.
The county has since reverted to the 35 mph speed limit for the road. The effort to install signs was led by Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Donna Michaels and Yavapai County Public Works Director Dan Cherry.
Cherry did not respond to numerous requests by Sedona Red Rock News for comment.
“Now that we have all of the signage and the warning and et cetera to please slow down and obey the speed limits, we’ll now send the posse out and reinforce the fact that we do mean as a county that the health and safety is embedded in our mission and sometimes we have to force the issue,” Michaels said during an Aug. 10 address to the nonprofit Big Park Regional Coordinating Council.
Michaels referred to that stretch of road as “very dangerous,” citing a blind curve and low visibility for westbound traffic for residents of the La Barranca II subdivision who might be attempting to turn onto Jacks Canyon Road.
“It is extremely dangerous getting out of our driveway as people crested the hill at high speed,” VOC resident Mary Pope said during the nonprofit’s meeting.
From September 2022 through Sept. 5, 2023, there have been a total of three traffic accidents on Jacks Canyon Road that have resulted in damage to vehicles. In two of those cases, YSCO spokeswoman Kristin Greene said that “speed was considered a factor in the accident.”
“Damage reported were only to the vehicles involved in the accidents,” Greene said.
“I’ve had emails, I’ve had texts. I’ve had conversations, I brought my public works director, Mr. Cherry, out there,” Michaels said when asked about the public input on the safety measures. “We drove it a number of times to find what we think is the best solution, at least for now. As we continue to grow, and the density gets higher, we’ll have to see what the future holds for us with regard to safety and signage.”
“The majority of the complaints have come from citizens who live off of Jacks Canyon,” Greene said. “The No. 1 complaint on the roadway is speed. There were also complaints of citizens in the area of La Barranca Drive and Jacks Canyon of having a difficult time turning onto Jacks Canyon because ofthe speed of the traffic and location of the entrance/exit is near a curve.
“One of the issues that exacerbates the problem off Jacks Canyon is this is a main artery to most of the residents on the east side of Hwy 179 and there is a significantly higher volume of traffic during this time period due to the large service industry, short-term rentals and access to trail locations. There is a larger number of people that are not from the area offending as well.
“The sheriff’s office does regularly provide speed enforcement to the area via a close patrol traffic program that tracks when a deputy provides an enforcement detail to a complaint area. A quick search revealed there have been 17 times where deputies logged a traffic detail on Jacks Canyon Road in 2023.”
Diana Judson, a Pine Valley resident, commented on the speed limit reductions in a recent letter to the editor of the Sedona Red Rock News.
“The speed limit for this one-mile stretch was reduced, we are told, so that potential horses or hikers that may decide to amble along the roadway to the hiking or horse trails would not be put in danger due to the out-of control driving that may take place at 35 mph,” Judson wrote.
“When did it become the norm to change the speed limit on a roadway, not based on the elements of the roadway, but based on what may be on the side of the roadway?” Judson asked in her letter. “Why did Michaels champion this cause without offering any residents who actually live in the affected area to have any sort of say?”
“It is always the job of the county in our mission statement to ensure the health and safety of our residents,” Michaels said in response to Judson’s comments. “I remain committed to that [and] I suspect supervisors that preceded me and those that will follow me will hopefully do the same.”
Michaels was unable to say if the change back to 35 mph would be permanent.
“We have to see what the impact is, in terms of people driving at a safe speed,” Michaels said. “Just because it says 35 [mph], if there’s somebody bicycling on the road, or walking, which we get a lot, then you know, I would hope drivers would take caution and reduce their speed to fit what the situation is.”
Michaels also said that the continuation of YCSO’s special efforts to write speeding tickets along that road would depend on “resident behavior.”
“I don’t like to ask Sheriff [David] Rhodes to give tickets unless there’s no reason to,” Michaels said. “So if people are cautious, obey the law and we are watching out for one another, there’ll be no need for that.”
“We really intend to change behavior first, to give the education and the blinking lights, and lowering the speed and then you begin to write those tickets,” Michaels said. “There’s something about hitting your wallet, or purse … that causes people to change behavior. We’re looking to do that … I was floored when I went out to spend some time out there and look at the speeds that people were driving. I’m usually hauling a horse trailer, so I’m poking down the road.”
“Deputy patrols are directed from a list that is generated by sergeants, who have received complaints or identified dangerous areas that need enforcement,” Greene said. “In the past three months there have been seven traffic details logged on Jacks Canyon Road, VOC.”
