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Traffic committee agrees to add pedestrian sign across Jane Powers Walkway; crosswalk upgrade deferred
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Summary
Carmel-by-the-Sea Traffic Safety Committee voted to install a matching pedestrian crossing sign on the far side of the Jane Powers Walkway at San Antonio Street and to keep a marked crosswalk as a potential future capital project because of curb and drainage constraints.
The Carmel-by-the-Sea Traffic Safety Committee voted May 28 to add a pedestrian crossing sign on the sidewalk across San Antonio Street at the Jane Powers Walkway and to keep a marked crosswalk under consideration as a larger capital project.
Committee Chair Paul Tomasi said the sign that was installed “is making it much safer,” but residents and committee members had asked for an additional sign on the opposite sidewalk and for a marked crosswalk. Karen Ferlito, a member of the public, told the committee the crossing “is used daily by people” and that it is not currently noticed as a crosswalk.
Committee staff and public works staff described engineering constraints that make striping a full, ADA-compliant crosswalk a larger project. Public works-related comments on the record said the curb and an existing drainage flow line at the proposed crosswalk location would require removing a curb section and adding a storm drain or protected drainage structure before any stripe-only crosswalk could meet accessibility and safety standards. A staff member explained, “just putting a crosswalk in there leads people to believe that they can just cross and it’s a real tripping hazard” given the current curb and drainage condition.
Because of those site constraints, the committee approved adding a second pedestrian sign on a 4x4 wood post on the near corner to alert approaching motorists from both directions and recommended keeping the crosswalk as a potential capital improvement. The committee recorded the motion and carried it on a roll-call vote.
The committee directed staff to add the second sign as a near-term safety measure and to keep the crosswalk upgrade in the project queue for a future capital-improvement review that would include design work to meet ADA and drainage requirements. The committee also closed public comment on the item before taking the vote.
Public comments at the meeting focused on pedestrian visibility and the flooding/drainage issue at the site; commenters urged a shorter-term improvement for driver awareness while acknowledging that curb and drainage work would be necessary to create an ADA-compliant marked crossing.
The committee voted to adopt the signage change and the direction to treat a marked crosswalk as a future capital project; staff noted the change would be implemented by public works.
