Saratoga News

News

Photograph by George Saakestad

Students from Saratoga High School and Foothill Elementary School are forced to walk in the street on Herriman due to a lack of sidewalks. In February a student from the elementary school was hit by a car, causing parents and residents to urge the city to take action.

Accident waiting to happen out on Herriman

By Shannon Burkey

Herriman Avenue has long been considered dangerous by the residents who live in its vicinity. Each day they feel there is an accident waiting to happen.

"The city needs to do something before there is an accident. All it takes is one time," said resident Walter Shaw.

Herriman Avenue, which runs in front of Saratoga High School, has several problem areas.

During the day, students walk along the street on their way to the high school or Foothill Elementary School, as there is no sidewalk on either side. Residents said drivers on Herriman Avenue constantly speed, making the situation even worse.

"The south side of the street is very, very narrow, less than 3 feet," Shaw said. "The kids walk on the narrow side and it sticks them out into the pavement. It's just too dangerous."

In February, a student walking home from the elementary school was hit by a driver who did not see her. The student suffered a compound fracture of her leg and had to be hospitalized. The accident caused residents and parents to urge the city to take action to make Herriman Avenue safer.

Residents said they would like to see sidewalks and a crosswalk added and possibly speed bumps and more traffic enforcement.

The other safety issue surrounding Herriman Avenue has to do with the bike lanes on either side of the street.

When the road was repaved at the end of 2006, Shaw said the lanes were not properly marked as they were before.

The north side of the street includes a bike lane and a parking lane, making it very wide. Because it is not properly marked, Shaw said cars often mistake it for another lane and frequently drive in it.

"I was walking my dog the other day and I heard screeching behind me. I looked back and there was a car coming toward me in my lane. The driver had no clue he was in a bike lane," Shaw said. "It looks very much like a two-lane road."

Shaw said there have been three other times he was almost hit by cars driving in the bike lane.

Councilwoman Kathleen King said she has heard from residents with concerns. After the accident, she tried to bring the issue before the council, she said, but residents wanted to see the issue go to the traffic safety commission first.

"People seem to like it going to traffic safety," King said. "And if we want to do a real thorough analysis, it should go to traffic safety first."

Shaw, however, would like to see something done to fix the situation soon.

"If there's an accident and those bike lanes aren't clearly identified, I would think the city would be somewhat responsible," he said.

Kristen Borel, administrative analyst in the city's public works department, said the city is currently looking into a solution for Herriman Avenue.

Borel said the city was in the process of marking the bike lanes when the accident happened and the city began to get requests for a sidewalk to be put in.

"We put things on hold because our traffic engineer is coming up with a recommendation for all of Herriman Avenue," Borel said. "Instead of the city going in and making a quick fix, we decided to let the traffic engineer come up with a more comprehensive plan."

Sohrab Rashid, the city traffic engineer, will present his plan to the traffic safety commission at its next meeting on June 7.