Group wants safety made a priority on busy Sacramento road
A group consisting of parents, teachers and members of the community are calling on the City of Sacramento to further improve safety for pedestrians on a busy stretch of road near several schools, two parks, a community center and a library.
On the stretch of road, Fruitridge/Seamas Avenue between Gilgunn Way and Karbet Way, the speed limit changes three times in just under a mile and about 18,000 vehicles, including semi-trucks and commercial vehicles, travel it each day.
City officials were already convinced to install a new traffic signal at Fruitridge Road and 58th Street, but it took the death of a West Campus High School student who was hit and killed by a car two years ago while crossing the street.
The group of concerned residents says more protections are needed for the area’s young people, and it shouldn’t take another fatality to get there.
The group met with city officials last week and discussed several potential safety improvements, including a lower speed limit, school-zone signs, additional police enforcement and another traffic light.
At the meeting, which took place at a neighborhood preschool, the preschool’s director told the city officials that she hears screeching of car tires daily, suggesting that there are many near-accidents that occur on the road near the school.
“A lot of kids are walking down Fruitridge, so it’s a huge danger,” said the mother of a girl who goes to an elementary school in the area. “I would hate for anyone to lose a child because of negligence.”
A senior engineering technician with the City of Sacramento said that data is being collected on traffic patterns in the area and a recommendation will be made about what to do within month. He said that establishing a school zone would be the “best bang for [the] buck.”
Ultimately, the city is going to have to make the safety of the children in the area a priority if it wants to prevent another tragic fatal accident from occurring and avoid liability stemming from a wrongful death lawsuit that could potentially result.
Source: The Sacramento Bee, “Parents, teachers push for safety improvements on stretch of Fruitridge Road,” Will Wright, June 1, 2014