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Mountain View officials have started making minor safety upgrades to the intersection at El Monte Avenue near Marich Way, the site where a pedestrian was killed in a crosswalk last year. But city officials say they still haven’t determined whether they’ll go with the public’s demand for significant changes, such as a new traffic signal or a road diet along the corridor.
In recent days, city employees have been repainting nearby crosswalks and modifying streetlights along the stretch, said Public Works Director Mike Fuller. Both measures should improve visibility for drivers to see crossing pedestrians. Poor visibility is believed to have been a main factor in the October crash, he said.
The Oct. 22 accident that spurred these changes took the life of a woman who was hit by an SUV heading northbound on El Monte. The victim, 54-year-old Michelle Montalvo of Los Altos, was reportedly walking a marked crosswalk at the time, but the driver apparently did not see her.
So far, police have not released the identity of the driver, and it remains unclear whether the person will face criminal charges for the accident. Mountain View Police officials say they have forwarded their report on the crash to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office for review.
In the long term, the El Monte intersection where the crash occurred could someday be equipped with a stoplight, Fuller said. The city’s public works staff are nearly finished with an analysis of traffic patterns to see whether a signal at this spot would fit guidelines set by Caltrans.
“Based on the results of that, we may recommend either a traffic signal or other improvements,” Fuller said.
New stoplights at the intersection would likely cost $300,000 to $500,000, and that expense would need to be added to the city’s capital-improvement list, Fuller said. Building and installing the signals would likely take a year or more, he said.
As possible alternatives, that location could still be equipped with a pedestrian-activated signs or lighted crosswalks, Fuller said. The options for the Marich Way/El Monte Avenue intersection will be laid out in a staff report for the city’s Bike/Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for March 30.
So far, he said the possibility of a road diet — when a street is redesigned to slow vehicle traffic and make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists — at this location have not been fully studied by staff.
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Sally Field and Max Greenfield star in the comedy/romance “Hello My Name Is Doris.” Image courtesy of Roadside Attractions. -
A memorial to celebrate Michelle Montalvo’s birthday resides at the crossing where she was hit by an SUV heading northbound on El Monte Avenue near Marich Way. Photo by Michelle Le
I use this intersection almost everyday. It is a tricky area of multiple intersections, and I pay special attention. The accident happened on El Monte northbound, but southbound is also tricky, especially if you come from West on El Camino Real. When you turn right to merge El Monte southbound, you get any of 1) a yellow flashing light (“proceed with caution”), 2) a red flashing light (“come to a complete stop, then proceed when you can”), or 3) a red light. (I don’t remember if it has a green light.) I have seen many drivers ignored those flashing lights. Maybe some drivers don’t even know what the flashing lights mean. When I get a yellow flashing light, and slow down to be cautious, I often get honked by a car behind me. I think I have right to slow down in that situation, or am I wrong?
If you are coming from East on El Camino Real, and turn left on to El Monte from the left lane of El Camino R., you should proceed slowly, or you may hit the northbound car on the left lane of El Monte waiting to turn left to Ednamary Way. This is because the El Monte’s center line is a slightly protruding to your side.
I hope the City makes some improvements in future.
The city ‘mulls over’ tweaks to the site of a fatal crash that happened last year? That is truly pathetic…our tax dollars at work. Honestly what does it take to get something done in this City?
The redwoods at that intersection block some of the visibility of pedestrians. The shadows prevent full visibility of pedestrians in parts of the crosswalk. I don’t normally advocate taking down trees, but this might be an option to save lives.
The new streetlight just added is a great help!
From my experience, the city, to include police and fire, are pathetically and notoriously slow in resolving issues like this regarding public safety. It’s makes you wonder what they do all day. No doubt they are tied up with the demands of developers bringing more traffic and problems to our streets.
For that busy stretch of road, I’m surprised there are no stop signs installed on El Monte (I only see yield on google map street view). This story reminds me of the stop signs that were finally installed on the Phyllis & Hans intersection after a pedestrian casualty. It’s so sad that someone has to pay their life to get this sort of safety improvement implemented.
Sorry Muenchy,Cuesta already went on its diet years ago between Miramonte and Springer.
So glad that the newspaper is no longer calling these fatalities “accidents”. Not seeing a pedestrian walking in a marked crosswalk is no accident. The cause of the collision must be identified and fixed.
Cuesta Drive between Springer and Miramonte also needs a “Road Diet”.
moderator, what happened to my post I put up last night just after Patio Bear. It was there, now it’s gone? Also, how is it “resident” posted and within 1 minute it had 53 likes? something fishy going on here……
Let’s see if this stays up this time:
Stop teaching pedestrians they’re better than cars, have more rights than cars. Get back to teaching pedestrians to yield to cars, give way to cars. Never cross a street when a car is coming, always let the car go first. Unless theres a stop light at which point you can have a little more confidence cars are stopping.
These excessive and poorly marked crosswalks give very false sense of security to pedestrians. I can guarantee you I don’t tell my kids “it’s your right, YOU as a pedestrian have the right of way”. No way, I tell my kids to step back, let the car go by and only cross when there isn’t a car coming. Even if they’re at a marked crosswalk I tell them to wait. Just not worth my kids life nor the guilt or pain a driver feels when they hit someone they really didn’t see.
pedestrian “rights” have gotten out of hand.