I am writing about a serious safety issue at San Antonio Road and Loucks Avenue. This intersection is a blind intersection for cars traveling north because of the visibility obstruction posed by the 30-degree bend of San Antonio. The visibility of cars traveling north is easily blocked by stopped vehicles and parked cars in the right lane and side of the road. This is what happened to me in two near misses with another pedestrian.
The crosswalk currently has pavement flashing lights that can be triggered only from the Loucks side of San Antonio and not from the side where the restaurants are located (Esther’s German Bakery, Armadillo Willy’s and Chef Chu’s). This intersection needs more than just flashing lights in the pavement triggered from only one side of the road. Overhead red lights are needed because the flashing lights in the pavement are not easily seen by the vehicles traveling north.
This intersection needs what you find along El Camino Real at pedestrian crossings, namely, a pedestrian hybrid beacon system or a high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon similar to the ones that were installed on El Camino Real in Palo Alto. Such pedestrian hybrid beacon systems are also slated to be installed at the crossings of El Camino Real and Bonita Avenue, Crestview Drive and Pettis Avenue in Mountain View in the next year.
Last month, another pedestrian and I were nearly hit by a fast-moving vehicle that changed lanes to the left when another vehicle stopped for us. This fast-moving vehicle slammed on his brakes and stopped partly in the crosswalk.
Recently, once again, I was nearly hit and could have been killed by a driver traveling at a high rate of speed. Two cars had stopped to allow me to cross in the crosswalk at San Antonio and Loucks. As I was crossing, a car traveling at a very high speed suddenly appeared out of nowhere and changed lanes. He saw me and swerved in front of the two stopped cars back to the right lane. I froze, and fortunately he missed me. Three people in front of Armadillo Willy’s screamed out, and the driver of one of the cars said she was trying to get his license plate number.
Another hazard with this crosswalk is from vehicles making U-turns. Recently, we were crossing from Esther’s Bakery at that same crosswalk and a Tesla going south decided to make a U-turn through the crosswalk. It stopped and therefore blocked the intersection while we were crossing, which was not a safe maneuver. This is another hazard, because pedestrians are looking to their left to make sure cars are not coming while the car making the U-turn is coming from the right.
This intersection would be a good candidate for a pedestrian hybrid beacon system with the three flashing red lights in the shape of a triangle that require cars to stop. Someone is going to get hurt or worse if something is not done.
Donald Gardner is a Los Altos resident.
