“Red Phone, the flashing lights on the Little Llagas Creek crosswalk signs are permanently flashing. This gives a false signal to drivers that pedestrians are entering the roadway, which is not the case. I have observed some drivers stopping, while most are totally ignoring the flashing lights – since they are always flashing, (day and night). While I applaud the city for installing the creek path, the flashing lights at the crosswalk should only be activated when needed to give a real warning to drivers. This is the case for the creek crosswalk at W. Edmundson Avenue. Let’s be consistent on how we install/use safety signage in our city. We do not need any more disasters on Cosmo Drive.”
Red Phone: Dear Concerned Citizen, Red Phone contacted Dave Gittleson, associate engineer, who said as with any pedestrian crossing, the city follows the federal guidelines set forth in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and not one application fits all circumstances. The goal is to alert motorists to the presence of a pedestrian crossing.
“At the Cosmo Avenue and Edes Court crossing location, where the roadway is narrower, traffic volumes and posted speeds are lower, continuous flashing LED signs were installed to guard against pedestrians who may not use an active push button on such low volume and narrow streets,” Gittleson said. “At these locations, the city went beyond the MUTCD guidelines by adding the flashing LED lights as an enhancement to those signs. The idea behind the continuous flashing signs is that drivers should always be on the lookout for pedestrians, not just when the sign is flashing.”
As far as the Edmundson Avenue mid-block crosswalk, it was specifically studied by a certified traffic engineering firm and the active push button device was recommended and installed, Gittleson said.
“Edmundson Avenue is significantly different from Edes Court and Cosmo Avenue in that it is a wide four-lane arterial with high traffic volumes and a higher posted speed limit,” Gittleson said.
Pedestrians crossing any street are reminded to protect themselves and look both ways before crossing and never assume vehicles will stop for you or that signs will protect you, he added.
“Pedestrians should also not assume they have the right of way. Cyclists need to take an additional step and dismount before looking both ways prior to entering the crosswalk. Cyclists should also always wear a helmet. As for motorists, they too should assume someone is waiting to cross and that they should only proceed through the crosswalk after confirming no pedestrians are present. A good driver continuously scans their surroundings so they are better prepared to handle the unexpected.”
Hope that answers all your questions, good caller.
MHUSD candidates must pay ballot fee
“Dear Red Phone, a highly qualified Morgan Hill citizen with Ph.D.’s from UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, wanted to run for the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education. However, when attempting to run, this individual was informed that he would have to pay $2,000 in order for a detailed description to be included in the election packet. This $2,000 was more than he could afford and he had to drop his bid. This stipulation appears to eliminate competition, and since our school board membership is fairly static, why is it included?”
Red Phone: Dear Why, Red Phone contacted Elma Rosas, spokesperson for the Registrar of Voters, who said the fee is included to help offset the cost of translating, printing and mailing the sample ballots. Historically, the Morgan Hill Unified School District has paid the cost of filing fees for candidates to run for a seat on the Board of Education, but in 2004, the district amended its policy to match those of five other unified districts in the county (Gilroy, Milpitas, Palo Alto, San Jose and Santa Clara) which require candidates to pay their own fees.
Now, that does not mean the candidate has to drop out of the race. It just means he or she will not have a 200-word statement in the sample ballot. That could be a problem for a candidate for a regional position, who can’t really campaign in every neighborhood, but a local school board candidate should be able to walk most precincts and between that and local forums, get his or her message across to voters.
Hope that answers your question.
