Crashes Spur San Ramon Residents To Call For New Traffic Light At Intersection

SAN RAMON, CA — Windemere residents are calling on the city to install a traffic light following two recent pedestrian crashes at an intersection near a popular neighborhood park.

More than 1,100 people signed an online petition as of Wednesday calling on Mayor Dave Hudson to take action at the intersection of Windemere Parkway and Holborn Way, which is located near Six Pillars Park.

Residents said the pedestrian crosswalk lights there have not sufficiently abated their safety concerns since the lights were installed in 2015. The speed limit there is 45 mph.

"Our Windemere neighborhood lives on edge, afraid of hearing another screeching sound and crash followed by the rush of neighbors running to the intersection to call 911," wrote Shalini Srivastava, who created the petition.

Deputy City Manager Steven Spedowfski said in an email that the two recent crashes on Nov. 12 and Sept. 23 are the only that have been reported at that intersection since the crosswalk lights were installed in 2015. Those lights were installed after review by San Ramon police and engineers.

"The City is in the process of analyzing the recent accidents and the design of the intersection to determine whether the intersection meets established warrants for additional pedestrian safety improvements," he said. "The findings will be published as soon as the analysis is complete."

The mayor has conferred with other city leaders about the matter.

"Something has to be done, more than what was there," Hudson said. "We will take it seriously."

The petition said that residents have reached out to Hudson's office on multiple occasions to request a traffic light at the intersection.

But the mayor said the petition was the first he had heard of the matter. Hudson, who was elected to the office a year ago, surmised that neighbors may have been thinking of his predecessor.

"I don't know what happened before, but it's not going to be the same thing again," he said.