Call me paranoid, but I have an innate fear of crosswalks.
Actually, I don't even like walking across intersections at traffic lights, having witnessed a pedestrian hit and killed, in a crosswalk 48-years ago, is eternally imprinted on by brain - "crosswalks are potential dead zones," proved out Tuesday, April 15th, at 11 a.m., on a clear San Clemente day - intersection of ECR and Canada: Death by Crosswalk. The 60-year old victim - female, her take-out Mexican lunch-order left waiting for her return, as she ran a quick errand across ECR. The intersection's scored 21 accidents in 5-years. 5 with injuries.
Now add 1-death to the tally. The young woman driving the Chevy Tahoe, was not speeding according to witnesses. Were electronic devices involved?
Not with the pedestrian. Investigation's ongoing, whether the driver was talking on a cell phone. The Tahoe's driver, so distraught she too was taken to hospital.
The City's engineer in charge of traffic safety, was unaware of the 21 other accidents at that intersection. Says a traffic light there is unwarranted. Tuesday traffic on ECR is normally light. The day was clear. The crosswalk clearly marked. The Tahoe was going below the speed limit, and a law abiding citizen is clearly dead, after 21 "almosts" at that intersection mark 22 the tragic number.
The primary function of government, is the safety of its citizenry.
And, as we all know, El Camino Real traffic will increase, not decrease.
I hope, for the sake of all future pedestrians, walking in San Clemente crosswalks, our city council, gives this deadly issue top priority so it will never ever happen again. How are accidents avoided? By every potential participant; the pedestrian, the driver, and the City, knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the deadly inevitability of traffic mishaps, and doing whatever it takes to avoid the incomprehensible: death by crosswalk.
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