Pacific Grove City Council moves to improve traffic safety at Robert Down Elementary

PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Crosswalk concerns in Pacific Grove.

The city is expected to hear a report from the traffic engineer who believes it was the right call to remove a crosswalk students would normally use.

He says it's safer, but parents say otherwise.

The debate centers around Pine Avenue near Robert Down Elementary school where recent adjustments have sparked concerns and discussions.

This week Pacific Grove city council will discuss crosswalk safety for students attending Robert Down Elementary School.

Three crosswalks were previously consolidated into one crosswalk at Pine Avenue and 15th street, but there is debate that three is safer.

"They have to go way out of their way to cross at a safe spot and I know some middle schoolers aren't going to do that," Sally Jones a resident of Pacific Grove said. "It just makes sense to put it back the crosswalk."

Up and down Pine street near Robert Down Elementary School are signs indicating to cross on Forest Avenue or 15th street, where a crosswalk was recently but removed. 

The city's traffic engineer was asked by council to do another study in the area.

"We counted cars out here for a few of the days a couple weeks ago, and we found about seven percent of the drivers are not stopping," Rich Deal city of Pacific Grove Traffic Engineer said. "They're just rolling right through and not like it's a slow down kind of hesitate and then take off is just kind of like roll right on through."

Some residents that spoke to KION say people still cross at this intersection.

"When it comes to children and this has so much pedestrian traffic, residents, bikers, very busy," Christie Italiano-Thomas Pacific Grove resident said. "It should still go back to the four way stop."

The report indicates that students are now crossing at a single controlled location which is intended to increase safety and provide driver awareness.

Council is hearing some options about potential changes to the layout of the road.

"Eliminate one of these two lanes so this first lane, eliminate that lane so all the cars would be traveling in a single lane," Deal said. "When there's two lanes and two cars stop at a stop sign, one car may not see through the other one, like if there's a van or a larger vehicle. The kids have more difficulty getting across and that chance for them getting hit."

"The intent of the new location for the stop sign is to reduce the number of crossings, but as with any change, it can take some time for everyone to adapt," Pacific Grove Unified School District said.

The idea is to reduce conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians around the school.

City officials plan to discuss these options with the traffic safety commission and school district staff Wednesday night.