The City of Martinez has installed several new traffic safety devices in recent weeks aimed at slowing drivers and improving visibility for pedestrians near a park and at a key intersection.
City Public Works crews installed two solar-powered radar speed feedback signs on Center Avenue in front of Hidden Valley Park, between Glacier and Redwood streets. The signs display drivers’ speeds as they pass, encouraging motorists to slow down in an area frequently used by park visitors and pedestrians.
At the intersection of Pine and Brown streets, crews installed four new solar-powered stop signs equipped with flashing LED lights around the perimeter to increase visibility for approaching drivers.
As part of recent street paving work, new high-visibility crosswalks were also added at the intersection, where no crosswalks previously existed.
To further improve visibility at the intersection, crews removed a large dead tree and an inoperable warning siren pole that had obstructed sightlines for drivers.
Should you be looking up to read clusters of signs, or watching the road (and pedestrians)
at normal eye level? Never accuse an elected official of having any common sense.
REALLY!
I’m reminded of all of the corner crosswalks installed with bumps to let the blind know they
are about to cross the street. A few years later, they tore out those perfectly usable “bumps”
and reinstalled them in Yellow…(which in my opinion ghetto-up the neighborhood sidewalks)
~ Blind people can feel the bumps better if they’re in bright yellow? I’ve never seen a blind
person out in the burbs needing those bumps… I’m sure there must be one somewhere, but
I do have one elderly neighbor who uses a ‘walker’ and after the bumps made her walker…
bump her left and right and left and right… she now goes to the outer curb edge, lifts her
walker over the curb, steps out into the street (outside of the crosswalk zone) to avoid the
bumpity-bump jumping walker.
What the City should have spent that ADA ‘do-over’ money on was helping homeowners with
cost of repair of cracked lifted, sidewalks caused by the tree roots (trees that you have to pay a
fee and get city permission to ‘legally’ remove.) Sidewalk cracks are also caused by age and
heavy equipment used by the city sewer workers, water company, electric company tree trimmers etc.
Those lifted sidewalk cracks really CAN be a trip hazard to the blind AND the elderly AND kids
on skates and toddlers on tricycles AND people in general. Property Tax to rent the land
under your house… where you still have to pay permit fees to fix anything on or around
your house. AND the lingering THREAT … use the City’s (kickback?) sidewalk contractors…or pay extra thousands for a permit to use your own contractor.
But WHY? Because the city/county doesn’t give squat about your house, safety, or you.
They ‘care’ about the $$$ they charge you that keeps them employed and in POWER.
Nailed it big time !
Why does Martinez have money for this but Walnut Creek has no money to put this on Ygnacio westbound going to Oak Grove where 2 deaths occurred? How much is a life worth? Walnut Creek doesn’t have to money to install warning signs on a deadly intersection?
Martinez has had these flashing speed signs for years. They’re not that accurate either but at least report a slower speed than you’re traveling. Slow news day. 😄
Typical California democrat lame effort to try to get irresponsible people to obey laws.
Oh all you drivers, pretty please don’t break the law, and if you do, nothing will happen.