RANCHO SANTA FE — In a semiannual report given to the Association board Aug. 7, Rancho Santa Fe Patrol Chief Matt Wellhouser stated that there were 1,658 calls for assistance in the first six months of the year, down 5.42 percent from the same period in 2007.

Alarm calls, which account for nearly 20 percent of all calls received by the patrol, are also down slightly, from 355 to 345. The majority of alarm calls are false and a result of human error.

There were 57 traffic collisions in the Ranch during the first six months of the year, the same number as last year. Injury collisions decreased by 50 percent, however, and noninjury collisions were up by 27 percent.

Does this decrease in injury collisions mean people are driving slower? Is there less traffic now due to the increase in gas prices?

According to Wellhouser, the answer is yes. “We’re down to traffic levels that we had in 2003,” he said to the board of directors. “There are always more accidents during the rainy seasons, but we’re finding fewer people on the roads.”

Tell that to commuters travelling along La Bajada and Noria during peak hours of traffic — 4 to 6 p.m. Traffic is so backed up it is often impossible for drivers on Noria (El Camino Real) to turn left and enter traffic headed for Encinitas. “The intersection is a problem and there is no easy solution,” Wellhouser said. “Traffic is like water, it finds its own level. Often when you fix a problem in one area, it creates a problem in another area.” Wellhouser said that San Diego County is looking into the problems at intersections like La Bajada and Noria, in a study it is conducting of the entire corridor.

In other Association news, ExteNet, the company currently constructing a fiber optic network for the wireless master plan in the Ranch, asked for permission from the board to install three new utility poles. These poles will provide support for approved node locations where there is either no current pole or a lack of permission to use existing poles by SDG&E. The board approved the installation of the poles, which is still within the framework of nodes necessary to cover the entire Ranch. The installation is nearing completion and Manager Pete Smith asked ExteNet representative Jeff Frye when they would be able to test the network to find out whether there are any dark spots.

Frye said that tests will begin by the end of the month or perhaps early September. “We’re still waiting on power; waiting on SDG&E,” he said. Once the network is completed, up to eight providers will able to provide broadband, WiFi and cellular phone service to the community.

Meanwhile, Orion Broadband (formerly Orion Cable Systems) is moving forward with the installation of its own fiber optic network and has offered broadband Internet service to customers in the Ranch. The CEO of Orion Broadband, John Santhoff, was unaware that a Wireless Master Plan was under way and a network was being installed in the Ranch. His company had been focused on outlying communities such as Escondido, Vista and San Marcos. Since there were fewer customers in the Ranch — lower density issues — the Ranch was not a top priority for the company. Orion’s network is in place with a fiber optic backbone running through the Ranch. Members would still have to pay for the installation of co axle cable running from the backbone to their residence, however, plus monthly payments for Internet and/or cable TV service. Several programs and services are available. For more information, contact John Santhoff or Rick Harris at Orion Broadband (760) 591-9600 or visit www.orioncable.com.