Hopes petition prompts city council to take action
Published in the November 11-24, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Corey Baldyga
On any school day, many cars use an unprotected left-turn light on northbound Monterey Road to enter John Wilson Way, the street leading to Oakwood School, a private campus in southern Morgan Hill. On this one day, a car driven by an Oakwood student started making a left-turn at this unprotected light. It was hit by a VTA transit bus pulling out of a bus stop next to the intersection. Fortunately, the two passengers, an Oakwood sophomore and a senior, did not suffer any major injuries from the crash. The bus just began to accelerate from the stop, thus colliding with the car at a low speed.
With an increase in traffic on Monterey Road turning onto John Wilson Way because of newly licensed drivers attending Oakwood, there is sure to be another accident in the future because of this unprotected left-turn. In order to prevent more damage and injuries, there needs to be a protected left-turn light added to this intersection.
Section 4C.01 of Part 4 of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices states: “An engineering study of traffic conditions, pedestrian characteristics, and physical characteristics of the location shall be performed to determine whether installation of a traffic control signal is justified at a particular location.”
The school has been constantly growing, adding a high school in 2005.
Today, the amount of traffic that comes in and out of the school has at least tripled. Another engineering analysis needs to take place because this intersection has drastically changed in the amount of traffic passing through it since the original study.
Compared to other projects in progress in Morgan Hill, adding another light at a single intersection will cost much less and benefit more people regarding their safety. Without this protected left-turn light, drivers attempting to turn onto John Wilson Way will be put at risk of a collision every day.
In order to ensure the safety and well-being of motorists, this intersection needs this protected left-turn light. To contribute to this cause, please go to www.thepetitionsite.com/140/988/824/protected-left-turn-traffic-lights-can-be-the-difference-between-life-and-death/ to sign the petition that will be presented to the Morgan Hill City Council and city staff to fix this problem before any more accidents occur.
Corey Baldyga is a sophomore at Oakwood High School. He wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.
