Editorial

Town needs to approve traffic signal at Daves

The wheels of government turn slowly... no so the wheels of the vehicles rolling back and forth each day on Winchester Boulevard. The combination of the two has created a very dangerous situation for elementary school students attempting the cross the four lanes of traffic as they walk to and from Dave Avenue Elementary School.

A crossing guard is stationed there to help children get from one side of the road to the other, but the problem is there's no traffic signal at the intersection. The children crossing there need both.

The Los Gatos Town Council and Monte Sereno City Council have been discussing the situation in earnest since last summer, but nine months later the plan for traffic controls at the site remain in the design stages with any approval at least a month away.

The trouble is, while government ponders and residents worry about potential loss of property value, children face a dangerous situation every day.

Crossing guard Allison Chow sees the potential for danger. She mentions that cars "just zoom by and don't stop."

We gained firsthand the experience of crossing at that intersection last Friday morning, and it was indeed intimidating. Fast-moving traffic bearing down on a difficult-to-see pedestrian makes one feel very uneasy on the long walk over four lanes of roadway. Imagine how wide that span must appear to an 8-year-old.

Granted, there were only a few children attempting to cross Winchester last Friday morning, but there are 32 Daves Avenue students who live across the boulevard and potentially could make the morning and afternoon walk.

"We think we would have more [students walking to school] if we had a stoplight there," said Mary Ann Park, superintendent of the Los Gatos Unified School District. "I think a lot of parents don't allow their children to cross there because it's such a wide intersection."

A pedestrian-activated traffic signal would make the crossing easier for children and adults alike--and much safer. It's an accident waiting to happen. No, it's a tragedy waiting to happen.

About 10 years, at a similar intersection in Concord, a youngster darted across Clayton Road in his quest to get to school in the morning. The motorist didn't see him until it was too late.

There's a stoplight at that intersection now, and a crossing guard assists children there every day. And there is a memorial at that intersection, too--a tribute to the little boy who lost his life that morning.

"Crossing children safely--that's what we've focused on as a goal," said Debra Figone, Los Gatos town manager. Town staff members are working on a design right now, and Figone expects the matter to return to the council the first or second meeting of April.

When it does, the town should give unanimous approval to a plan for a traffic light at the intersection. It's the right thing to do to ensure the safety of Los Gatos children.

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