Given the rise in traffic fatalities recently reported by the Voice, I wanted to bring to mind again how the recent “improvements” to the intersection of Rengstorff and Central Expressway will — not may, but will — lead to such a fatality if nothing is done. Much like the Caltrain intersection in Menlo Park (where a mother lost her life in February of this year), this is an accident waiting to happen.
These are the issues that need to be addressed immediately if we don’t want another fatality added to our growing list:
1. Lights cannot be seen: The new lights at this intersection, at Leland Avenue, are not visible. Drivers turning left on Rengstorff and crossing the tracks can’t see if the light is green or red until they are on the railroad tracks. So if the light is red, drivers have a difficult choice — run the red light or get stuck on the very active railroad tracks. It is also impossible to see the lights from the other direction, causing problems if the light at Leland is red and the light immediately beyond it is green.
2. No light/train crossing coordination. The light at Leland is not coordinated with the trains crossing, meaning drivers in the above situation also have to consider if there are people in the crosswalk ahead of them or traffic coming out of Leland if they run that light.
3. Crosswalk complication. The above also means that if the crosswalk at Leland is activated, the light on Rengstorff turns red — even if the left green arrow is on for drivers turning left off of Central. More than once I have been one of the drivers who got stuck in the middle of the intersection, and I have seen it happen to other drivers on a weekly basis. I have also seen it happen that a train comes at that moment, meaning that all the cars stuck in the intersection block traffic on Central. Not to mention the dangers of a car being stuck on the tracks in the first place (see point No. 1) and having nowhere to go.
The answers seem relatively easy:
1. Put in new lights at Leland that can be seen easily.
2. Time the lights at Leland with the railroad track.
3. Take out the crosswalk at Leland and move it farther down Rengstorff, providing a safer crossing for pedestrians and drivers alike.
I believe this intersection is under the control of Caltrain and not the Mountain View City Council. I urge all those involved, including the police department and the City Council, to take whatever steps are needed to make this intersection safer as soon as possible. What happened in Menlo Park could easily, easily happen here.
Kris Geering lives on Hackett Avenue in Mountain View’s Rex Manor neighborhood.
