Following on from City Council’s vote to strengthen the City’s Vision Zero safety commitment to reduce road-related injuries in the November 14 meeting, the intersection at 19th Street and Idaho Avenue was transformed into a four-way stop on Monday.
A crew arrived at the intersection mid-morning, painting the relevant markings on the asphalt surface of 19th Street, either side of Idaho, before placing the accompanying road signs and removing the temporary radar speed trailer that had been placed at the north-west corner of the crossroads.
Local resident Ken Dapper said he asked the work crew if they could refresh the faded paint of the other set of road markings. “I asked if they were going to repaint the markings on the ones that have clearly faded on the other side of the street … After all, they had everything they needed here, but they told me ‘no, we’re not doing that,’ which is a shame,” Dapper said, adding, “But this is still a huge improvement, of course”
Dapper said that he and another neighbor had been in contact with the gentleman that had kindly lent them the “ghost bike” that had been placed in memoriam at the intersection because there had been another cyclist death at the intersection of Cotner Ave and Santa Monica Blvd.
“There was a death there just less than a week ago and so we took the bike and we put it there,” he said.
Tania Mooser died at 19th and Idaho in October and Paul Postel survived a crash at the same place just two weeks ago albeit with four broken and two bruised ribs. In the most recent accident a car was traveling westbound on Idaho and the cyclist southbound on 19th. The vehicle broadsided the rider, hitting his left side, and knocking him to the ground.
This intersection, like many in the neighborhood, was until today, a two-way stop sign, not a four way stop and almost the entirety of the public comment preceding the Nov. 14 meeting was concerned with this subject.
“There are real people behind those numbers whose lives are irreparably damaged because of these tragedies, these preventable tragedies. Every single person that’s needlessly injured or killed is a preventable tragedy. And we have the tools and the resources to make our streets safer for all,” Natalya Zernitskaya said during the public comment.
+++UPDATE+++ Following publication of this story, the Daily Press has learned that in addition to the stop signs installed yesterday at 19th and Idaho, “cross traffic does not stop” signage at 21st and Idaho and 18th and Idaho is also to be installed. Moreover, a spokesperson for City Council told this newspaper, “We are also evaluating those two intersections for upgrades to all way stops, along with about 10 other intersections across the city.”
According to the City, this is part of a periodic review of these types of stop sign requests: It’s called the “warrant analysis” process, by which it’s determined whether a stop sign is the appropriate measure for a specific intersection/street.
There is also a link on the Santa Monica government’s website where a stop sign can be requested.