Blog note: this article references a 2014 grand jury report.
Crews installed signs and striped pavement Monday to establish a
four-way stop at the intersection of Union Valley Parkway and California
Boulevard, which has been the frequent site of car crashes.
Following a fatal collision that left an elderly woman
dead in April, Santa Maria officials moved to turn the intersection into a
four-way stop.
In April, 83-year-old Judith Zimmer was driving an Acura sedan
through the intersection of Union Valley Parkway and California Boulevard when
a pickup truck collided with her vehicle.
Zimmer was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders.
Two men also were injured in the collision.
Following the crash, city officials examined the intersection at
the far south end of Santa Maria and determined it warranted a four-way stop,
said Public Works Director Kevin McCune.
While reviewing traffic volume and past collisions at the
intersection, city staff found five broadside collisions occurred at the
intersection between Feb. 4, 2017, and Jan. 18, 2018.
Broadside collisions can be corrected with the installation of a
four-way stop, according to a staff report prepared by the Public Works Department.
On Dec. 17, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the
new four-way stop.
The intersection, which was originally planned as a four-way
stop, has been the subject of scrutiny over safety concerns since its
construction in 2013, according to the staff report.
In 2014, a Santa Barbara County civil grand jury issued a report
calling for the city to install a four-way stop, finding that the intersection
created hazards, especially for motorists traveling north on California.
At the time, the city declined to install stop signs on Union
Valley Parkway, saying a four-way stop was not warranted at the intersection.
January 20, 2020
Santa Maria Times
By Len Wood
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