The intersection of Carpinteria and Voluntario streets on Santa Barbara’s Lower Eastside has emerged as the center of a controversial debate over safety after city public works officials said improvements to the area were “nonessential.”
In the last year, two children have been hit by cars at the intersection, which is two blocks from Adelante Charter and Franklin schools.
City of Santa Barbara public works officials, however, said last week that they have not set aside money to make any improvements because no physical problem exists at the location.
They lay the blame on motorists not obeying stop signs.
“The compliance of the stop signs at this intersection is not so great, and that is why collisions are happening at this intersection,” traffic engineer Derrick Bailey said.
Project planner Jessica Grant said officials believe curb extensions might make the intersection safer.
Officials estimate it would cost $200,000 to add the extensions at the site.
Since the city has not set aside funding for the the curb changes, it plans to apply for a grant to pay for improvements.
“If two children have been hit in the last year, we really need to take a look at it,” City Councilwoman Cathy Murillo said.
A handful of people spoke at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, calling on the city to prioritize and fund improvements at the intersection.
Eastside resident Martha Jaimes said the two accidents are just the higher-profile examples. She said people never hear about the smaller incidents, when she or other neighbors will help up a child on a bicycle after averting a collision.
“There are more than two,” she said. “We are seeing them too often.”
Jaimes said she once saw a police officer roll through the intersection.
“What do we do? How do we change this?” she asked. “Something this small is very big when we think about the safety of our youth.”
Eva Inbar, an activist with the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST), said she didn’t understand why the city doesn’t prioritize the project, but has set aside money to “beautify medians.”
“I was a little puzzled to see this classified as a nonessential improvement,” she said. “… Two kids have been hit and here it is a nonessential improvement.”
Public works director Rebecca Bjork said a “nonessential” project can still proceed, regardless of a perceived need. By contrast, she said renovating the Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center is considered an “essential need” because the facility is in use and without improvements that use could change or go away.
She also said such capital projects should be considered “in the context of the budget, not in the context of the plan.”
Bailey said motorists should know to stop at the stop signs.
“The people who are driving down Carpinteria Street are driving down there every day, mostly, and they know their stop signs,” he said. “So while I can appreciate the new driver driving down the street and maybe not seeing the stop sign due to the placement, it is people driving through the neighborhood using that street every day.”
Councilman Dale Francisco made no comment on the issue during the meeting, but confirmed Bailey’s position.
“There isn’t any physical problem at this intersection,” he observed. “This is people not stopping at stop signs, correct?”
Bailey responded, “Correct.”
Still, Murillo and Councilman Frank Hotchkiss wondered if there was something that could be done. Hotchkiss suggested an education program that would teach people how to “defensively walk” through the intersection.
“Is there anything we can do now since we are talking about children in the street?” Murillo asked. “It does seem urgent.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
