”
Red Phone, after the new road construction along Tilton Avenue
there is a repositioned stop sign on Dougherty Avenue
(southbound).
”
“Red Phone, after the new road construction along Tilton Avenue there is a repositioned stop sign on Dougherty Avenue (southbound). They have placed the white line too far back so now you can’t see oncoming traffic from the right on Tilton. There is a light pole and telephone pole obstructing your view, so now you have to inch out to see traffic. By the time you do that you’re almost in the westbound lane of Tilton. Can this be fixed before there’s a major accident, or wait till someone gets t-boned?”
Red Phone: Dear, Can This be Fixed, Red Phone contacted Scott Creer, senior civil engineer with the city, who said upon reviewing the situation, the public works department is recommending that the limit line be adjusted to address your concerns.
“The adjustment work will be done as part of a city project that will begin construction in late January,” Creer said.
There you have it, good caller. Seems your concerns have been addressed and come early next year that intersection will become much safer.
Speed ‘hump’s can be driven at 25 mph
“Dear Red Phone, I recently moved to the north side of Morgan Hill and I work on the south side. Monterey Road is the direct route for me, so lately I have logged lots of miles on that road. The speed bumps, I can understand why they would be desired at that point and the purpose of them, but I must ask, isn’t there a better way? A normal speed bump is easier on a car’s suspension. You can hit it equally with both sides so you don’t flex your frame. It’s not so high in the middle to cause your car to bottom out, which is obviously happened on these bumps. In a recent Red Phone column on this you had Scott Creer say it ‘is safe to go over those humps at 25 mph.’ Is he nuts or just driving a city vehicle he doesn’t have to pay to fix the suspension and alignment on? I ask this as a a technician certified in suspension systems and more.”
Red Phone: Dear Is He Nuts? It has been Red Phone’s mission for more than two years to get those “speed humps” removed. Yes, you can drive over them safely at 25 mph without causing damage to your vehicle, but according to an unscientific survey – OK, it was just Red Phone observing vehicles – fewer than half of all motorists take the humps at 25 mph. That being said, there are some vehicles that are lower than others that must take them at a slower speed, but the majority of motorists can take them at the speed limit.
Back in April, Red Phone contacted Creer, senior civil engineer with the Morgan Hill Public Works Department. He said the speed humps were installed by the city several years ago to enhance pedestrian safety at the Third Street crossing in the city’s downtown.
“The humps function as speed reduction devices and are designed for vehicles to comfortably (and safely) drive over at a speed of 25 mph,” Creer said. “With the installation of the humps, traffic speeds in the downtown have been reduced, thus providing the intended results of creating a more pedestrian friendly environment in the city’s downtown.”
There you have it, good caller. Another friendly reminder to all that the humps can be traversed at the speed limit.
