‘Speed is the common theme.’ There’s a new plan in Fresno to improve traffic safety
Fresno leaders announced plans Wednesday for a traffic study to determine and then improve the city’s 10 most dangerous intersections.
The city has seen 10 people killed in violent crimes so far this year, but twice as many have died while in cars, riding a bike or walking on Fresno streets, leaders said Wednesday.
Councilmember Mike Karbassi said he is this week sponsoring a resolution to commit city engineers to assess the streets with the highest traffic, most accidents and other factors to determine the city’s most deadly.
“All options are going to be on the table,” he said during a news conference. “Speed is the common theme we have here constantly. People making bad decisions put not just themselves at risk but other motorists that are just going about their business.”
The safety improvements could include radar signs, red light cameras and beacon lights for pedestrians, to name a few. The study, which is pending the approval of City Council on Thursday, would take 75 days to produce a report.
Karbassi said his focus on road safety was sharpened on the day after Christmas in 2020 when according to police an 18-year-old who was street racing slammed into a car killing three victims between the ages 17 to 27 and himself.
Fresno recorded 20,639 collisions from 2017 through 2022, and 310 resulted in fatalities, according to numbers from the city.
Karbassi held the news conference Wednesday along with Councilmember Annalisa Perea at the corner of Audubon Drive and Del Mar Avenue, which is near a shortcut for some drivers looking to avoid Nees Avenue on the way to Friant Road where more than a mile of busy street has few options to cross.
That intersection at Del Mar on the north side of Audubon will be getting a stop light and three crosswalks, he said.
It was also about a half-mile from where a cyclist was killed Jan. 12, 2022, in a collision with a truck next to Woodward Park at Friant Road and East Audubon Drive.
Perea made a plea for drivers to take the responsibility on themselves to drive safer. She said the study could also help provide clarity on how to handle red light-runners and distracted drivers, as well as pedestrian safety.
“We all have a role to play in saving lives and community safety is in our hands,” she said.
City Manager Georgeanne White said Mayor Jerry Dyer’s Office supports the plans.
The city has made other recent efforts to cut down on reckless driving, including adding a street racing enforcement team for Fresno Police Department, Chief Paco Balderrama said.
“We have a fully functioning street racing team that will be very proactive in enforcing traffic laws,” he said. “Public safety includes traffic safety.”
This story was originally published May 24, 2023 at 11:38 AM.
