I’ll guess that if you drive on Miller Avenue south of First
Street on a regular basis, you’ll be happy that a traffic signal
will be replacing the flashing red light currently at Third Street
and Miller.
I’ll guess that if you drive on Miller Avenue south of First Street on a regular basis, you’ll be happy that a traffic signal will be replacing the flashing red light currently at Third Street and Miller.
While it’s good to see that the city is finally addressing the kludge of traffic that this intersection attracts, it seems to me that there are some other thoroughfares in Gilroy that need traffic department consideration for signal lights to replace boulevard stop signs.
Now I know this is not an inexpensive venture, but as Gilroy continues to grow in population, I think we’re seeing more intersections (currently without traffic signals) that are becoming more congested, and in turn are creating more frustrated drivers. They, as they get hung-up in the traffic, make rushed or poorly executed stops, sowing the “seeds” for more traffic accidents to take place.
With driving manners at an all-time low, it’s not uncommon to see two cars enter an intersection at right angles, both thinking they have the right-of-way, and as one finally yields in the game of “chicken,” the “losing” driver flips the bird to the winner as their reward.
One of the better examples that I can think of is the intersection of Welburn and Wren avenues. Currently a four-way stop, it becomes a nightmare of traffic build-up during weekday mornings and afternoons. While I suspect that a traffic signal would help lessen this condition, it will be a traffic department challenge to create a left-turn lane on westbound Welburn at Wren. A signal seems appropriate given the fact that the Gilroy Fire Department Las Animas Station is close to the intersection, and a signal might provide better traffic control as GFD rolls Code 3 southbound on Wren or either way on Welburn.
In fact, Welburn Avenue between Santa Teresa Blvd. and Church Avenue seems to be congested with traffic pretty much during the day and into the evening hours, which raises the point that as a city grows, traffic will use the most convenient streets to create through routes, even if those streets contain multiple stop signs.
From my observations, the city just might create better flows of traffic if the following streets were changed to all-signal streets:
n Mantelli Drive between Santa Teresa Boulevard and Church Street. Mantelli is certainly wide-enough with two lanes on each side, and making it more traffic-friendly with signal lights, just might relieve traffic on Welburn Avenue.
n Church Street between First Street and Tenth Street. Making it an all-signal street would again seem to make for a smoother flow of traffic.
n Sixth Street between Church Street and Miller Avenue. A natural choice since Sixth Street is just about mid-way between First and Tenth Streets.
Hopefully, the traffic department is thinking about such changes, and won’t wait until there is absolute Gilroy gridlock until something is done to find solutions.
With summer approaching, it certainly will be good to enjoy Gilroy’s great weather again. While the rain has been a blessing, if you’re like me, you’ve had enough. But with great weather will undoubtedly come a return of the “boom box” cars blasting their abominable noise.
I don’t think there’s anything that makes this “crusader” go on a crusade more than having to be next to one of these airheads while waiting at a traffic signal, while my car is being shaken with the low decibel sounds emanating from their massive speakers. What are these people trying to prove anyway? Why are their windows always down, and why is the noise so unjustly loud?
And why is it always the same noise – rap – that has absolutely no esthetic value at all? While I’d like to tell these folks about the damage they are doing to their hearing, I’m not so naïve to think that it would do any good. One person who has been crusading against the likes of such bay area groups, tells me that he has been targeted for numerous hate mail attacks orchestrated from car audio online forums. This has included explicit threats. So much for trying to bring sanity to the insane.
Hopefully for Gilroy, GPD will be more proactive in stopping these noise-makers and giving them strict warnings to turn down their noise.
