“Dear Red Phone, When I pick up my eighth grader from Britton Middle School, I am always concerned about the students crossing Main Avenue at Del Monte Avenue. Shouldn’t a busy intersection so close to a school have a four-way stop? Or a crossing guard? Nearby P.A. Walsh Elementary School gets out just a short time before Britton as well, so those students would benefit from some additional safety precautions as well.”
Red Phone: Dear Keep Them Safe, Red Phone contacted the city and the school district to get an answer. According to Scott Creer, senior civil engineer with the city, the city follows the guidelines outlined in the State of California manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices when evaluating whether to install a multiway stop control at a given intersection.
“Given these guidelines, the intersection of West Main Avenue and Del Monte Avenue does not warrant the installation of a multiway stop at this time,” Creer said.
As far as the school district is concerned, Bonnie Tognazzini, deputy superintendent of fiscal services, said the district works with the city and the police department to assist with traffic flow during the peak periods of drop off and pick-up at the most traffic impacted school sites.
“They have been very helpful in controlling traffic and planning strategies with the district to solve safety issues,” she said. “We have never had the resources to provide crossing guards at our sites and our staff would not have the legal authority to control traffic, so our Morgan Hill officers have been very helpful. For our San Jose schools, crossing guards are provided by the city of San Jose.”
There you have it, good caller. Hope that helps.
Pedestrian in, near crosswalk: Stop
“Red Phone, no, you did not answer your caller’s question. Unlike the caller, I believe that it is NOT necessary to stop at the flashing LED sign unless there is a pedestrian in or near the crosswalk. Which of us is correct?”
Red Phone: Dear Got A Bet, you are right. According to Associate Engineer David Gittleson, it is not necessary to stop at the flashing LED sign unless there is a pedestrian in or near the crosswalk.
However, let’s all remember to drive carefully, especially around crosswalks.
