Land Park neighbors grateful for 4-way stop sign installed at busy intersection
LAND PARK – One Land Park neighborhood is breathing a lot easier today after safety measures were installed at a busy intersection.
The city installed a four-way stop sign at 2nd Avenue and Land Park Drive this week. Before this, it was just a two-way stop sign with no stop for traffic moving north or south.
"I have had myself almost been hit, as a driver I have almost been hit in this intersection, as a cyclist," said Devin McCuthchen who lives a few doors down from the intersection. "I have had all that happen even with my daughter in my own arms in this intersection."
McCuthchen said he is grateful that this change finally happened, welcoming the shiny new stop signs and newly painted crosswalks.
McCutchen is biking and breathing a little easier now, seeing the shiny new stop signs and newly painted crosswalks at 2nd Avenue and Land Park Drive.
"At least, I don't know, half a dozen times a day there are near misses with cars honking, screeching," said Tracy Principi who lives right on the corner of the intersection.
Video surveillance from early 2023 captures the close calls in front of her home.
"I was always thinking that one day a car is going to come through the living room and hopefully I am not going to be there," Principi said.
The city recently conducted a traffic survey that found they had three preventable accidents within the last year, qualifying the intersection for the four-way stop signs.
"We've basically just been asking for anything," said Roman Ambroselli, who is a board member of the Land Park Community Association.
Ambroselli is one of the neighbors who has been working closely with Councilmember Rick Jennings to improve the traffic troubles. He said he would love to install more safety measures.
The city is currently conducting a speed test on 11th Avenue and Land Park Drive where video surveillance shared with CBS13 shows car crashes and bicyclists who have been hit.
Councilmember Jennings said he is also in talks with SMUD about improvements at Mead Avenue and Sutterville Road. He believes a roundabout would be effective there.
Riverside Boulevard and Swanston Drive are also on the city's radar.
Councilmember Jennings said the struggle is funding. None of the four hot spot intersections are a part of the city's High Injury Network List, making it difficult to get a source of funding.
"People can still forget to stop and there are still massive collisions that can occur," said Ambroselli.
Ambroselli believes a roundabout would have been safer than stop signs, but Councilmember Jennings said the price tag difference between stop signs versus roundabouts is nearly $1 million.
"This is a good start, but I honestly don't think it's enough," said Principi.
The city said it used dollars from the City's Vision Zero Safety Program to install the four-way stop at 2nd Avenue and Land Park Drive.
The City of Sacramento said it conducts approximately 1,000 investigations per year to address traffic safety concerns citywide and may identify improvements that could be made if there is sufficient need and funding available.