Study required before crossing on west side OK’d
A potential crosswalk at Westside Boulevard and Central Avenue
is on the back burner at least until the construction of the West
Gateway Palms Apartments is completed near the intersection.
Study required before crossing on west side OK’d
A potential crosswalk at Westside Boulevard and Central Avenue is on the back burner at least until the construction of the West Gateway Palms Apartments is completed near the intersection.
The county’s Council of Governments discussed the issue at last month’s meeting and asked for a report regarding the potential for a crosswalk on Central, which runs a block north of and roughly parallel to the busy east-west route of Fourth Street.
The intersection in question is in the city of Hollister’s jurisdiction, so COG staff checked with the city’s engineering department to request that a crosswalk be considered at the intersection.
According to a report from COG Transportation Planner Mary Gilbert to the COG board on Sept. 15, engineering staff “noted that the location would have to be warranted by the number of pedestrian crossings and traffic volumes on the street.”
Construction of the West Gateway Palms project on Fourth and Westside may increase pedestrian traffic in the area, Gilbert’s report noted.
“It may be more likely that the location will have the pedestrian volumes to warrant a crosswalk once the apartment construction is complete,” she said in the report. “At this time the city has limited resources for conducting this type of engineering review, but will report back to COG when the review is complete.”
Such a review would include review of sight distance, traffic speed, and traffic volumes. COG does not have funding available for construction of local street improvements, Gilbert said, so construction costs for a crosswalk – as well as costs associated with staff time to take pedestrian and bicycle counts at the proposed location – would have to be borne by the city.
