Downtown safety This is about the (on-going) dilemma of downtown
and pedestrians. My observation as I came through downtown one
recent morning is that we have so many things in the median strip,
particularly where the crosswalks are, that sometimes the
pedestrian is hard to see, especially when they are standing behind
the signs that say
“crosswalk.” This might be remedied by making shorter signs.
Downtown safety
This is about the (on-going) dilemma of downtown and pedestrians. My observation as I came through downtown one recent morning is that we have so many things in the median strip, particularly where the crosswalks are, that sometimes the pedestrian is hard to see, especially when they are standing behind the signs that say “crosswalk.” This might be remedied by making shorter signs.
We were recently in Ft. Bragg in Mendocino County where they have wonderful crosswalks. The pedestrian approaches the corner, pushes a button on a stanchion and the crosswalk lights up in the street letting motorists know there is someone there. There are signs as you drive into town. It seems to work very effectively, especially since they are on Highway 101, which means traffic can be heavy.
Sounds like a brilliant idea to us. The City Council actually did consider light-up crosswalks at First and Third street crosswalks but decided they would be too expensive. The expert traffic folks told them that motorists tend to get used to seeing the lights and ignore them after a time. However, the Ft. Bragg idea of pedestrian-activated lights sounds like just the ticket to us. We hope the council will take another look at this pedestrian-protection method if its current efforts aren’t enough.
The Ft. Bragg idea brings to mind a Berkeley production a few years ago when pedestrians could pick up a highly visible orange pennant on a tall stick to carry across the street, then deposit in a container for the next person. The idea was ridiculed as “only in Berkeley” but got their attention.
And through April, police will be watching for drivers who ignore pedestrians in, or about to be in, crosswalks, and writing tickets to get their attention the old-fashioned way.
Ark needed
There is a potential traffic problem on Cochrane at Half Road (near the former hospital). When it rains about half of Cochrane gets flooded; people drive around it into oncoming traffic. Since there is a lot more traffic now, I’m afraid there will be an accident. Who’s responsible?
City Public Works Director Jim Ashcraft says the problem actually belongs to both the city and Santa Clara County since the boundary is right there. Both are trying to grade the road shoulder and a nearby pond area so the water drains off the roadway. It is a sensitive stretch of road that floods at the slightest provocation, he said. It should be fixed soon.
n The Red Phone sounds off Saturday in The Times.
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