Letter to editor: Residents outraged at 10th Street safety

Friday, May 9 was the final straw for me.
My family has resided on 10th Street between Church and Rosanna since 1976. During that time, there has been a major increase in traffic with minimal measures taken to address public safety and cite drivers who are exceeding the speed limit. To my knowledge in the past nine months there have been approximately four accidents between Monterey Road, west to Rosanna and 10th Street, and the city has done nothing observable to curtail or discourage individuals from speeding. Is anybody listening?
Approximately 36 months ago, my older brother and I met with City Administrator Tom Haglund and former Traffic Engineer Don Dey to discuss concerns I was having about the curb in front of my home being painted red, which prohibited me from parking in front of my home. During our conversation with Mr. Haglund and Mr. Dey, I also pointed out my concerns about the traffic flow and drivers exceeding the posted 35 miles per hour speed limit in the area. Mr. Haglund confirmed being aware of the traffic situation on 10th Steeet and noted having parked in the past on the corner of 10th and Church streets to observe the traffic flow and admitted there was a heavy traffic flow on 10th Street, but yet nothing has been done to address the concern. Is anybody listening?
On June 17, 2013 I met with Mayor Gage to discuss my concerns about the traffic flow and drivers exceeding the speed limit. Mayor Gage informed me that 10th Street is a courier street designed to handle large amounts of traffic. He advised me he would forward my concerns to the new City Traffic Engineer, Henry Servin, who would speak to law enforcement about increasing patrol in the area and speak to me personally about my concerns. Mayor Gage ended our meeting by reminding me that whenever there is increased police presence in a designated area, neighbors are usually the ones who are cited for traffic violations not drivers speeding down a given street or neighborhood. There have been three attempts to speak with Mr. Servin about my concerns, but he never responded to my voicemail messages. I was finally able to speak to Mr. Servin, in person, at City Hall on November 18, 2013. I pointed out to Mr. Servin it was important for him to return a  private citizens calls. Mr. Servin spoke with me for approximately 30 minutes noting my concerns and concluded our meeting by stating I had given him a lot of work that he needed to look into to address my concerns about the traffic and drivers speeding on 10th Street. We agreed to talk again on Feb. 1, 2014, but he did not contact me. I’m still waiting to hear from him. Is anybody listening?
Over the past three years I’ve attempted to speak to Chief of Police Turner, left messages and have been contacted by other officers who have informed me that traffic is flowing at the posted 35 miles speed limit. Has Chief Turner or Mayor Gage ever taken a walk on 10th Street from Monterey Road to Princevalle Street during the weekday at 8 a.m. and noon, or 5 p.m. or midday on the weekends to observe drivers speeding through the neighborhood, I doubt it. Residents on 10th Street are not blind nor ignorant, there is a serious speeding problem on 10th Street which the city for some inexplicable reason is failing to address. Is anybody listening?
I have observed over the past three years that the city’s response regarding traffic safety in a predominantly Latino area has been poor. On rare occasions I’ve noticed a motorcycle officer parked across from Wells Fargo Bank and observed speed monitors across from Gilroy High School. I ask why isn’t there more patrol on 10th Street to address the speeding problem? Why does it have to take an accident like the one which occurred on May 9 or a fatality similar to the one which took a child’s life a few years ago for the city to take action?
It was sad and frustrating to see neighbors on May 9 walking away from the accident scene crying and commenting to one another, “People drive too fast down this street.” The traffic flow and speeding on 10th Street is horrendous and unacceptable. Citizens who reside on 10th Street deserve action not lip service by our elected officials. There need to be observable and permanent changes made on 10th Street to ensure public safety, a band-aid approach by the city is unacceptable. The City of Gilroy is very fortunate, at the moment, that children and parents walking to and from local schools have not been injured or killed as a result of drivers who are not obeying the speed limits. I ask once again, is anybody listening and to our elected officials, what do you plan to do about it?  
Sincerely,
Jess Moreno
Gilroy