By Linda Taaffe

At least one crosswalk along San Antonio Road is slated to be equipped with flashing lights to warn motorists that a pedestrian is in the roadway. The Los Altos City Council last week approved the installation of an in-pavement yellow flashing warning system at Pepper Drive, but rejected three other sites identified for similar systems pending further studies of the remaining eight crosswalks along San Antonio from Cuesta Drive to El Camino Real.

The city has been examining techniques for better traffic control on the four-lane road for the past five months, after residents lobbied for improvements following a pedestrian fatality at the crosswalk at Hawthorne Avenue.

Residents said the 35 mph speed limit, combined with the high traffic volume and poor visibility, make San Antonio one of the city’s most dangerous roads to cross. About 30,000 motorists use the road every weekday.

Many anxiously waiting for pedestrian-safety improvements were not impressed with last week’s plan.

One resident told the council she was dismayed. Another described the plan as shocking.

Part of the city staff’s recommendation to council included removing the crosswalk paint at Alma Court and at the Hawthorne site where the fatality occurred.

“The idea is to encourage pedestrians to use either the in-pavement flashing yellow lights or signalized intersections so that they will be crossing at preferred locations,” according to the recommendation.

The additional sites identified for possible flashing crosswalks included: Yerba Buena Avenue, Pine Lane and Loucks Avenue. “This is as effective as using a peashooter to stop an elephant,” said resident Jon Baer. “I understand doing something is better than nothing, but you need to find a way to slow the traffic.”

Traffic Engineer Tom Ho said staff looked at accident history and spacing between major crossing and signalized intersections when choosing the four sites for flashing crosswalks.

The Hawthorne crossing had the least number of accidents. Staff concluded that driver error, not roadway conditions, contributed to the April fatality.

“The intersection meets traffic engineering standards defined by Caltrans … and requires no corrections,” according to the recommendation.

The council rejected the recommendation to remove crosswalk paint from any locations.

The city is scheduled to restripe existing crosswalks with thermoplastic markings this fall. The flashing crosswalk is scheduled for installation next year. The city will approach the Packard Foundation to fund the remaining three sites after they are identified. Each flashing crosswalk costs an estimated $30,000.