CLEARLAKE OAKS >> Sometimes problem solving needs to illuminate the hidden in plain sight, especially to maintain traffic safety, and the District 3 watchdog at the East Region Town Hall was on guard April 4.
Reminded of a persistent safety issue often kicked down the road, District 3 Supervisor Eddie Crandell jolted awake an ongoing safety concern while meeting Toks Omishakin Secretary of Transportation for the state of California last month. When Caltrans visited ERTH, Crandell was alerted to a grant for a vital traffic safety devise, a Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon. One of the most critical places it is needed is the crosswalk safety at East Lake School and Highway 20.
“Caltrans will be working to get that for you,” Crandell said. “At the Rural County Representatives of California, (RCRC) I let Secretary Omishakin know of the various ongoing projects we had in the last year, and how many deaths there were, about 10 to 12 and the lethal potential remains.”
Lake County has a serious highway safety issue Crandell stressed and noted 18 to 20,000 cars pass each day. “We don’t have any flashing beacons to slow traffic.” It was an assistant to Omishakin who knew the area he singled out since she drove past it nearly every other day. She confirmed its potential lethality and pledged to remind the transportation secretary. Crandell said he saw an actual flash beacon near the baseball fields of Clearlake High School recently and wondered how they managed to obtain one.
After a conversation with Lakeport City Manager Kevin Ingram, Crandell found the beacons were relatively affordable.
“The beacons were accessed through a grant, but my idea was getting beacons for schools in Clearlake Oaks, one each in Lucerne, Upper Lake and one each in neighboring towns, those really do help.” Yet as effective as the beacons are, Crandell urged even a better buy would be the HAWK, (high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon). It is used to stop road traffic and allow pedestrians to cross safely and allows protected pedestrian crossings, stopping vehicular traffic only as needed. “So I asked for one HAWK in each town and will follow up with Secretary Omishakin or his assistant.,” Crandell said. “I wanted to let you know I made that connection and in Upper Lake and Lucerne.” ERTH board member Pam Kicenski agreed such a device is needed since the East Lake School crosswalk has no accessory to draw a motorist’s attention to it. She asked if license plate readers used in the interim would be helpful. Crandell added there is a reader on High Valley Road. “There’s 20 or more flock cameras (motion detector cameras with field of view of 1.5 traffic lanes wide), he said. ERTH board member Maria Kann provided anecdotes about commercial trucks speeding so fast by East Lake School that even the crossing guard was witnessed to be visibly frightened.
Crandell did note the Sheriff’s Office recently swore in nearly two dozen deputies, In addition, he has priced out the cost of flash beacons, and at $14,000 each district has enough discretionary and cannabis tax revenue funds to purchase several of the devices. The sooner it can be done the better it will be since obtaining them through a grant would require much longer.
Sally Davis, an ERTH attendee, informed the audience she was a former East Lake student crossing guard who barely avoided being struck by a motorist on several occasions she maintained, and then became a credentialed teacher for over 20 years. “I remember last Thursday (March 28) I was going east and the sun was in my eyes and I had a lot of difficulty seeing. I did not see the crossing guard until the cars fully stopped. After all these years it’s still dangerous.”
Kicenski inquired about implementing traffic bump warnings in the road. “When you come to a traffic circle there are bumps you run over on the highway, ” she said. “Those would be a good mechanism. At least they would get driver’s attention that they’re in a zone, because they don’t slow down past the school.”
A public commentator pointed out there would need to be cooperation between Caltrans and the county public works department to initiate such a collaborative venture.
Crandell gave the recommendation some credence. “It’s not something outside of Caltrans doing,” he said. “An example is in Upper Lake last month. They were doing a creek clearing project. They were working off the highway. I’ll bring it up to them, and even public works, if Caltrans can do it.”
