Residents demand action after fatal collision on Cypress Avenue; council says a warrant study will be done

Residents at the Redlands City Council meeting on Oct. 10 urged the city to take immediate traffic-safety measures on a six-block stretch of Cypress Avenue between Cajon and Center, where neighbors and a recent visitor described frequent speeding and a pedestrian fatality on Oct. 10.

Eric Brazil, a Redlands homeowner near the Cypress and Alvarado intersection, told the council he has documented 33 crashes along the six-block corridor since January 2023 and described an Oct. 10 collision in which an elderly woman was struck and killed. "Cypress Avenue shouldn't feel like a highway cutting through a neighborhood," Brazil said, asking the city to install a four-way stop and lighted crosswalks at the intersection and to publish any traffic studies already completed.

Peter Assad, a former Redlands High School student who said he was a friend of the victim's family, said the stretch "feels like a highway" and called for changes to protect children and seniors who cross the four-lane arterial to reach nearby schools. Ray Miller, another resident, said people in the neighborhood who have witnessed crashes are "also victims" and that posted speed signs have not reduced speeding.

City staff responded that the director of municipal engineering and utilities will prepare and conduct a warrant study to determine whether traffic-control measures such as stop controls or signalized crossings meet engineering standards for that location. City Manager Doug Duggan said staff will define the study area and report the results back to the public and to the resident who brought concerns to the council.

Residents requested both temporary measures such as flashing pedestrian beacons or increased enforcement while a permanent solution is developed and public communication of study results. Staff said those temporary measures and public follow-up would be assessed as part of the study process.

Why it matters: The corridor runs between Kingsbury Elementary and Koch Middle School and, according to residents, is used daily by students, families and seniors. Neighbors said the lack of protected crossings has produced repeated collisions and traffic speeds they described as dangerously high near homes and schools.

City staff did not provide a timetable for the warrant study during the meeting; staff said they received email correspondence from the resident and will include him in follow-up communications.