Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Bill Medeiros has been a crossing guard for nearly five years. Here, he's seen on the job in March of this year. He says the intersection at Saratoga and Fruitvale avenues has become more dangerous.

Red light runners send up red flags to school officials

City says intersection is still safer than it was years ago

By Michelle Alaimo

Some argue that the intersection at Saratoga and Fruitvale avenues is dangerous, needs another crossing guard and is just an accident waiting to happen, but City Manager Larry Perlin doesn't agree.

"I don't believe the intersection is dangerous and that [it] needs two crossing guards," Perlin said.

However, Margie Singleton, director of human resources for the Saratoga Union School District, said the intersection has always had two crossing guards--that is, until this year's city budget cuts. She says she does not feel comfortable with with only one crossing guard at the busy intersection.

The intersection has a high volume of traffic in the morning and between the hours of 3 and 5 p.m., said Sgt. Jose Salcido of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department Westside Substation. Much of the traffic is from West Valley Community College and from parents going to and from Redwood Middle School. On the same corner is Saint Andrew's School and the Saratoga Community Library.

Singleton and others, including the intersection's crossing guard, Bill Medeiros, said they are concerned with drivers running the red light either by turning left from Saratoga Avenue onto Fruitvale Avenue or by turning right from Saratoga Avenue onto Fruitvale Avenue.

Less than a month ago, Medeiros reported to Singleton that he and three children were nearly hit by a driver running a red light. Medeiros said a woman who was turning right onto Fruitvale Avenue came to a complete stop and then floored her car to get around Medeiros and the children who were in the crosswalk at the time. He added that she almost ran into the island trying to go around them so she could beat traffic that was turning left onto Fruitvale.

The near-miss was mentioned at a Public Safety Commission meeting in October, and commissioner Angie Frederick asked the Sheriff's Office for solutions.

Salcido said he discussed with his deputies the possibility of having a patrol car parked near the intersection during the busy hours of the morning and afternoon commute. However, if the deputy is called away to another matter, no other patrol car is available to replace it.

Medeiros said he sees drivers running the light even when a patrol car is at the intersection ticketing cars. He added that he has been keeping track of how many cars run the red light on each of his one-hour shifts since the beginning of the year. On average, Medeiros said he counts 11 cars running the light per shift. Most of them are cars that do not stop before turning on the red light, as a posted sign suggests.

But Perlin said, "[The intersection] is a hell of a lot safer than it was a year and a half to two years ago."

Since then, an island has been added so that drivers turning right onto Fruitvale cannot make such a wide turn. Signs have also been added asking drivers to stop on the red before turning.

Perlin said he is not convinced the intersection needs more lights but will have a traffic engineering consultant look at the intersection next month to see if any changes need to be made. He also did not think another crossing guard is needed because of the previous changes that have been made.

However, Perlin said, "I'm not sure there is much more we can do engineering-wise to improve it." He added that the intersection could not be changed without major construction.

Both Medeiros and Singleton said they hope the city does something to the intersection soon.

"It's not a question of if there will be an accident, but when," Medeiros said.

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