Fresno mayor promised safer Woodward Park streets. Here’s what changed a year later | Opinion

Last February, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer stood in a grassy corner of Woodward Park alongside Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Garry Bredefeld and promised to make its surrounding streets safer for cyclists, walkers and runners.

Time for a one-year checkup. Did our local politicians make good on their pledge? Are the streets bordering Fresno’s signature park any less dangerous for those who aren’t protected by thousands of pounds of metal?

Well, somewhat. But so much more can, and should, be done.

Let’s start with the safety improvements that are in place. Even as Dyer spoke at the podium, city crews were busy installing reflective tape to the backplates of nearby traffic signals. The bright yellow tape now adorns every stoplight on Friant Road between Audubon Drive and Copper River Drive.

Pedestrian crosswalks along the busy, high-speed Friant corridor can also be more easily seen after they were re-striped with high-visibility paint. That may seem like a small measure, but it does make a big difference.

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Another step in the right direction has been the implementation of leading pedestrian intervals at traffic signals near Woodward Park. At these intersections, the walk signal turns green before parallel car traffic is given a green light. This allows pedestrians and cyclists to establish their presence in crosswalks before cars are permitted to turn right or left.

How long of a head start? The industry standard is three to seven seconds, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. At Friant and Fort Washington roads, I counted five seconds. But at the bustling corner of Friant and Audubon, probably the most dangerous intersection in the entire corridor, I counted only three.

“You have to be a fast pedestrian around here, I guess,” said Tony Molina, who chairs the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition.

Other visible changes include the installation of “no right turn on red” signs at every intersection between Friant and Shepherd and Friant and Copper River. However, the signs are small and tend to be ignored — as I observed firsthand during the Wednesday morning commute.

Urban designer Sheila Hakimipour, co-founder of the Safe Access to Woodward Park Coalition, suggests “no turn on red” arrows be added to stoplights for extra emphasis and visibility.

Fresno cyclist killed under green light

At Friant and Audubon, the “no right turn on red” standard has yet to be implemented because it requires a redesign of the southbound lanes along Friant. That redesign is “90%” completed, according to Fresno’s public works director Scott Mozier, and will soon be advertised for construction bids.

For now, drivers making a right turn onto Audubon from Friant are advised to yield to pedestrians. But from what I witnessed this week, few do.

It must be pointed out that disallowing such right turns would not have spared the life of Paul Moore, the cyclist killed in that intersection Jan. 12, 2022.

The 61-year-old retired teacher was killed while crossing under a green light by the driver of a lifted pickup who, according to Moore’s family, repeatedly told police he “never saw him.”

The driver in question (who I’m told is a local business owner) is not facing any criminal charges. Guess it’s perfectly fine to drive around in a truck with more blind spots than a military bunker and run over people as they legally cross the street. Just as long as you can claim you didn’t see them.

I should also mention there have been no pedestrian and cycling fatalities in the intersections around Woodward Park since Moore’s death 13 months ago. So perhaps things are a little safer.

“There have been small improvements, especially the crosswalks, but those are counterbalanced by the increased traffic (on Friant Road),” Hakimipour said. “And it’s going to continue to get worse and worse.”

Other aspects of City Hall’s pledge will take longer to implement. Community outreach regarding the Audubon corridor safety plan will be rolled out this spring, according to Mozier, while the promised traffic signal at Audubon and Del Mar Avenue remains in the design phase.

Meanwhile, it’s hard not to notice all the earth being moved and foundations poured for the next phase of the Park Crossing shopping center. Of course, there’s no sign of the promised roundabout at the Audubon entrance to Woodward Park.

Bad deal over Woodward Park roundabout

Reading the fine print of the agreement between the city and Zinkin Family Development, the traffic calming measure “shall be implemented prior to the construction of 100,000 square foot of retail and 150,000 square foot of office development.”

So in other words, if only 149,999 square feet of office space are built, there won’t be a roundabout.

Yet another example of city planners (and the elected officials they work for) getting hoodwinked by a developer — even though the shopping center has undoubtedly created even more traffic in an already congested area.

Molina, the cycling advocate, wants the city to move the vehicle limit lines at Friant and Audubon further back from the crosswalk (for added visibility) as well as adding curb extensions to force cars to make wider (and slower) turns.

Hakimipour, meanwhile, wonders why the city and county haven’t undertaken a new traffic study on Friant Road rather than continue to rely on one from 2008 before much of Copper River and other housing developments were built.

Joshua Houssiere, owner of The Bike Shop, believes excessive speeding is the problem and suggested the city make Friant Road a double-fine zone while beefing up traffic enforcement.

As Houssiere and I spoke outside the store, a red Mustang heading north on Friant used the designated right-turn lane at Fort Washington to blow through the intersection and pass traffic. We could barely hear each other over the engine noise.

Needless to say, there wasn’t a police officer in sight.