Hump Day, and Red Phone has been busting its hump chasing answers to your calls and recording your comments on life in San Benito County. This week one caller questions why Monterey Street is missing a four-way stop and another caller comments on LULAC.
Stop the Monterey madness
One caller was frustrated with stop signs on Monterey Street, appearing at almost every intersection except Fifth and Monterey.
“I’m wondering why the intersection at Monterey and Fifth streets isn’t a four-way stop,” he said. “Virtually every other intersection in downtown is a four-way stop. I have a problem with this one. When you’re coming on Fifth street, you can’t see the traffic. Just thought I would mention it.”
Assistant engineer in the Hollister Traffic Department Matt Atteberry said the intersection is number 11 of 34 on the city’s list of traffic calming sites, but may never see the stop sign the caller questions. The city just finished number one on the calming list.
Atteberry said when the intersection’s number is up they will conduct a traffic study, but if the area does not see a minimum of 300 vehicles an hour from both directions for an eight-hour period or at least five reported vehicle accidents in a 12 month period, they will not recommend a stop sign be installed.
As for the other stop signs, Atteberry said they could have been installed in years past, or after a traffic study or at the behest of the City Council which has the ultimate authority to install stop signs anywhere within city limits.
However, he said if the city installs a stop sign that does not meet the state criteria listed above, tickets for running the sign may not hold up in court.
Lend a hand LULAC
A caller from dialed the Red Phone again with another LULAC comment.
“I’d like to give credit where credit is due,” she said. “The elections department did contact all the Hispanic organizations to ask for people to work at the polls. They put ads in the paper, had things on the elections materials and, of course, what people don’t seem to realize is you have to take off work to do it. Not everybody can take off work. Perhaps they have to use a holiday day or their boss won’t let them go. There are reasons why the elections department couldn’t find enough people.
If instead of complaining, LULAC said ‘we will find enough people,’ it wouldn’t have been a problem. But instead of that all they do is complain.
I’d like them to look at what was done, not what wasn’t done. Let’s be positive, not negative.'”
The Red Phone called LULAC Tuesday afternoon, but calls were not immediately returned.
