Modern Transit Society
PO Box 5582, San Jose CA 95150
408/371-9738
Oct. 6, 1994
Lou Montini
Acting Director
Santa Clara County Transportation Agency
Subject: Constructive Notice regarding improving of pedestrian safety
and compliance with County Policy on Lawrence and Central
Expressways.
Dear Sir:
Background:
MTS has written SCCTA on several occasions that the shrubbery
must be trimmed in the vicinity of intersections to preclude a
vehicle-pedestrian accident. MTS never got a response, so we went to
the Board of Supervisors in 1991 which implemented the Policy for
pedestrian safety. Unfortunately, SCCTA Road Operations Dept. has
still not implemented the policy in most locations.
This non-implementation resulted in the death of a Pedestrian on
Capital Expressway. The accident that occurred in 1992 on Capitol Expressway,
where a pedestrian was struck by a motorist, did not occur on a
shoulder, but at a driveway (specifically, the private and only
entrance to a mobile home park). The accident occurred not on a
shoulder, but within 50 feet of an intersection, before the start of
the shoulder line. The accident would not have occurred had SCCTA
complied with the County policy of trimming shrubbery in the vicinity
of intersections, enacted a year earlier, or responded to identical
MTS requests up to several years earlier.
The reason for refusal was that SCCTA did not want to "encourage
pedestrians to violate the City ordinance [prohibiting
pedestrians]", according to Mr. Allen Jones. However, the City
ordinance, revised in 1989, never prohibited pedestrians on Capitol
Expressway, as is finally recognized by San Jose staff, The County's
illegal "pedestrians prohibited" signs on Capitol are currently in
the process of being removed.
SCCTA has also not implemented pedestrian safety on other expressways
that allow pedestrians. Besides Capitol,, these are Lawrence in Santa
Clara, Central in Santa Clara, Montague (3 cities), Almaden in San
Jose, and Lawrence in Saratoga (signs here are illegal and must be
removed). Even parts of San Tomas allow pedestrians. Only on Lawrence
in Sunnyvale is there full compliance with County policy.
Moreover, pedestrians walk along expressways regardless of the
existence of "pedestrians prohibited" signs, due to lack of
alternatives on account of the hierarchical street patterns used.
This means all expressways need to anticipate pedestrians unless
there is a nearby alternative, such as a frontage road or path.
MTS has started with Lawrence and Central in Santa Clara, and made a
table of pertinent violations of County policy, where pedestrian
safety is in jeopardized. Other expressways will follow. Mr. Larry
Moore has made a list for Capitol Expressway.
In general, the graph below shows the necessary changes:
Caltrain Lawrence Station access.
MTS is appalled at the pedestrian-unfriendly manner that SCCTA
has designed the road, where SCCTA has removed crosswalks at Kifer
and Lawrence, making it very difficult for Caltrain patrons to travel
north of the Lawrence Caltrain station. I was almost struck by a car
making a double right turn at the SW corner (going from San Zen Way
onto the overpass). The crosswalk leaves the pedestrian in limbo.
There is no safe manner to get from the pedestrian
crosswalk/right-turn-island and off the roadway. The enclosed table
describes necessary changes for safety. The design for the 8-lane
Lawrence Expressway needs to be checked so that crosswalks, sidewalks and
signaling are provided at Kifer. The County supports Caltrain
financially and the policy encourages ridership, a fact that is
violated by SCCTA traffic engineers. MTS again requests (previous
requests have been ignored, to date) that signs be placed between
Arques (street) and the Caltrain Lawrence Station to direct
pedestrians to the station.
Violation of Board of Supervisors Policy (Dated August 13,
1991 and adopted shortly thereafter):
As a result of an MTS request, the County enacted a policy that
states Shrubbery at expressway intersection areas will be
trimmed to prevent pedestrians from being discouraged from walking in
the vicinity of expressway intersections.
Action requested:
Implement the changes described in the attached table.
Akos Szoboszlay
Past-President
Al Spivak, PE
President
cc:
each member of the County Board of Supervisors
Mr. Chris Fernandez, Traffic Engineer, City of Santa Clara
Mr. Allen Jones, Road Operations, SCCTA