Makeshift crosswalk captures attention of Costa Mesa officials

A makeshift crosswalk appeared in the middle of a busy Costa Mesa street, much to the delight of concerned residents.

"Somebody had pained a crosswalk there and it was actually kind of nice," said Tamar Storm. 

From a distance, the white line stretching across Wilson Street resembled a real crosswalk. People in the densely populated Costa Mesa neighborhood who wait to get to the other side of the busy road were absolutely happy about it. 

"I thought it was hilarious that somebody spray-painted one in," Quannah Driver said while chuckling. 

Residents said it has made its mark, allowing them to finally cross the street faster. The adjacent Wilson Park is a favorite spot for pets in the area. Pedestrians complained it can take several minutes, depending on the time of day, to make it safely through the traffic. 

"When you were in the middle of the street cars actually stopped so you can get across the street," said Storm. "Now it's gone and we're having those issues again, trying to get across the street."

The asphalt graffiti was far from amusing to those who engineer the roads, which 20,000 cars pass through every day. Many of these vehicles drive 30-35 mph. 

For the safety of everyone, Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens said city workers painted over the unsanctioned crosswalk as soon as they heard about it. 

"So they might think that they have the right of way, so it's safe and they go and people don't see them," said Stephens, "and they don't see the crosswalk and motorist might hit them."

The mayor said a HAWK (high-intensity activated crosswalk) signal is coming to the busy Wilson Street. This will include a red light that will flash when a pedestrian pushes the button to cross the road. 

An improvement project is in the pipeline but is still a minimum of four months away as city crews wait for signal equipment to arrive.