Brandau ignores pedestrian danger

Seldom does a day pass when I don’t see examples of wasteful government spending and also observe a serious problem that the city declines to address.

Traffic signals are being installed at the T-intersection formed by West Barstow Avenue and North Figarden Drive. Why? Barstow is a dead-end street that provides access to the backside of two apartment complexes. There is no through traffic on Barstow because it is blocked by the BNSF railroad. Why is money squandered here?

The west side of North Figarden between Bullard and Salinas avenues, just a few hundred yards north of Barstow, does not have a sidewalk. The city tells me that it doesn’t install sidewalks until the property is developed. However, the north side of the same lot has a sidewalk. For more than 20 years, my Fresno City Council representatives, Linda Calandra, Chris Mathys, Brian Calhoun, Andreas Borgeas and now Steve Brandau, have ignored this problem. Pedestrians and those in wheelchairs are forced to use the street.

This dangerous situation should have been fixed. Instead we get an unneeded traffic light.

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Brandau ignores pedestrian danger."