Committee orders study and funding push for crosswalk at Holden and Saratoga after resident petition

The Traffic and Parking Committee voted Oct. 15 to request that the city manager direct the Department of Transportation and Mobility to install a marked, ADA-compliant crosswalk on Holden Street at Saratoga Road, including compliant curb ramps and pavement markings.

Resident petitioner Tim Farren told the committee he has lived on the street for decades and called for a safe crossing where children and pedestrians regularly cross. “I’ve been here for 25 years,” Farren said. “There’s a lot of kids walking up and down the street.”

Stephen Raleigh, commissioner of Transportation and Mobility, said the location is appropriate for a marked crossing but noted it cannot be implemented without constructing compliant curb ramps and landing areas on both sides. Raleigh told the committee that the department has packaged pedestrian improvements for past budgets and that funding decisions will determine the build schedule. “The timeline would be dependent on funding being allocated toward this in a future fiscal year,” he said; the department aims to include such projects in its annual capital requests.

Committee members said the crossing met safety criteria including traffic speed and lack of nearby crossing points. The committee approved a chairman’s order asking the city manager and Transportation and Mobility to design and fund the crosswalk, signage, pavement markings and ADA-compliant ramps. Councilors approved the order by roll call. Transportation staff said, if funded, the project could be included in the next construction package and would be scheduled through the capital budget process.

No immediate construction was authorized at the meeting; the committee’s action is a direction to staff to design the crossing and pursue funding.