Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Mike Peardon has spearheaded a petition to have the city put a four-way stop at the intersection of Olive and Carroll. Four accidents have occurred, one seriously injuring a driver. Mike and his family are especially worried about the amount of VTA bus traffic.




Safety Zone

Residents of neighborhood struggle to find way to make local intersection safe

By Daniel Hindin

Many people may feel powerless and that they have no control over their surroundings. But Mike Peardon and Buck Beardsley believe people should have a say about what happens in their neighborhood.

The Peardons and the Beardsleys, both families with young children, live at the intersection of Olive Avenue and Carroll Street, just east of downtown Sunnyvale. They say their intersection lends itself to excessive speeding and a high number of accidents. They fear someday one of the almost 6,000 cars that pass through their small, residential neighborhood each day, many traveling over the speed limit, will run up over the curb and into their yards where their children play with their toys.

Such a fear lingers in their minds because recently a car did jump over the curb onto the sidewalk right in front of the Beardsley's front yard. In fact, four accidents occurred at the same intersection within the last month and a half.

These recent accidents sparked a resurgence in the Peardons' and Beardsleys' efforts to get the city to put in a four-way stop at the intersection. Currently, cars traveling north or south on Carroll Street must stop, but drivers on Olive Avenue don't.

The two families called Sunnyvale last year with their concerns about the intersection. The city responded by conducting a 'four-way stop sign warrant' study to see whether the intersection warranted a stop sign or not. The warrant study, mandated by the state, includes three criteria: accident history, traffic volume and visibility.

After conducting the study, the city determined the intersection didn't meet any of the necessary requirements. The case closed. The city wouldn't install a stop sign.

The families remained worried about their young children. For a while they figured they did what they could and they had no other recourse.

"But the last accident was the final straw," says Peardon. "I wrote a letter to all of our neighbors asking if they would back us up if we asked again for a stop sign. I went around a couple of Saturdays ago and dropped them in all the mailboxes. I've talked to 35 or 40 neighbors, and we've gotten dozens of responses back [in support of our effort]."



Peardon says if the numbers didn't support a stop sign, then perhaps the numbers don't count for everything. He says he sees what goes on at the intersection everyday, and he knows from firsthand experience that something needs to change.

"What can a neighborhood do to make their street safer?" he asks. "If 90 percent of our neighborhood agrees that the intersection isn't safe, shouldn't that count for anything?"

According to Peardon's and Beardsley's recent counts, there have been enough accidents to warrant a stop sign. However, the city only counts reported accidents into its figures. The families at the intersection maintain many of the accidents go unreported.

When asked if some cases go beyond the numbers, Jack Withaus, director of Sunnyvale's traffic engineering division, says no.

"We are by state law constrained to install traffic controls only when they meet a certain test," he says. "The test is designed by the state of California, and it is based on the state's detailed research. If the intersection doesn't meet the tests and we put in controls anyway, the city is liable."

"[The Peardons' and the Beardsleys'] can ask for a traffic-calming study," Withaus suggests. "This is a policy the city has for residents to examine a broad range of controls [besides a stop sign]."

The traffic calming study includes the same basic criteria of the stop sign warrant study, but with slightly lower numbers required in order to prompt action. The intersection in question would most likely meet the criteria.

"If they meet this criteria, we can work with the neighborhood," says Dennis Ng of the traffic engineering division. "There are two stages. If they meet the stage one criteria, we can install more signs, striping or a radar speed trailer, and we can have higher police patrol in the area. If they meet the stage two criteria, we can install speed bumps, a traffic circle, right turn islands or many other things."

While the Peardons, the Beardsleys and the rest of their neighborhood might not be able to get what they originally sought out, they do have other options. They still don't have a stop sign, speed bumps or extra signs as of yet, but now they can continue their efforts to make their streets safe for their children.

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