Patch Readers Sound Off on Red Lights in Alameda

If you’re frustrated with the red light situation in Alameda, you are in good company.

While stop lights are one of the necessary evils of commuting, they don’t guarantee safety for pedestrians or cooperation from drivers.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, red-light running is the number one cause of urban crashes. Furthermore in 2013, approximately 127,000 people were injured in red-light related accidents.

In August 2015, the National Coalition for Safer Roads released an interactive safety map that would allow users to see the number of red-light running deaths in their area as part of the group’s ‘Stop on Red’ initiative.

At Patch, we appreciate that our readers and motorists know the stop lights in Alameda best. We asked you on Facebook how you felt about the red lights in our area. Could Alameda use more red lights? Are there too many? What intersections need a stop light, or can we get rid of one?

Here’s what readers said on social media:

-"We need more protected left turns at big intersections (I.e. Otis and Grand, Santa Clara and Grand, etc) for everyone's safety."

-"More concerned about obeying the speed limit than more red lights. I prefer stop signs."

-"There are not enough because many streets actually have people utilizing street parking. This causes many drivers to inch out into the road unknowingly of whatever traffic pattern they are entering."

-"I think a few red lights could effectively replace stop signs in busy locations. It would make more sense to have an allotted amount of cars go then stop, wait, stop wait."

-"More red lights!"

- "I wish we could have special parking lots for residents. I love the fact that people come from all around to visit and eat at Park street, that is until I want to take my family out to dinner. And I also think we need more red lights... mostly for the "tourists" who seem to like to think that stop signs are just a suggestion."

Is there a red light in [town] you can’t stand? Is there an intersection that could desperately use a red light? Let us know on Facebook.