Things Are Getting Ridiculous And Scary. City Hall Shrugs Its Shoulders.

This afternoon, there was yet another red light run car crash at 4th & Columbia that totaled a car on Columbia headed east that had the green light.  No one was hurt, and the driver who ran the red on 4th Street told me directly, "I didn't see a red light.  I didn't see any light."  Beside the missing plate, his car seemed okay.  If I had to guess from the way he spoke, I would say that he was stoned.  He likely made a direct hit to the rear wheel, throwing that car out of control, up on the sidewalk over the sign and back down onto the street.  That's no short curb, either.  I was the first on the scene, having heard the unmistakable sound of the crunch of metal from a long block away at 3rd & Columbia.  There was just a tiny screech of wheels, which means the driver on Columbia, perhaps driving at 30 mph, had practically no warning before the errant car entered the intersection.  Hell, both cars may have been traveling at or near 30 mph.

That intersection is essentially a blind corner -- the building on the southwest corner doesn't give the Columbia drivers any view of 4th Street traffic until it is too late should someone run the red, and vice versa.  Vehicles turning on red off of 4th Street was a big part of the problem until a NO TURN ON RED sign was finally installed a year or two ago, but the accidents keep coming.  The city had to be convinced that the sign was the right thing to do - it was like pulling fucking teeth.  AS HUDseen has reported on, the intersection's traffic light is not in the middle of Columbia Street (it's hanging over the westbound Columbia traffic) and, because Robert Perry doesn't feel that the intersection needs any, there is not one stop line for any of the three directions of traffic.  The situation is ridiculous, mostly because the city doesn't know what the hell it is doing.   

ruined day and car, but escaped injury and death

If your axle is bent, your car is done for.

Something is wrong with that intersection, but City Hall would rather do nothing and just have HPD spend their time responding to the nearly monthly accidents there rather than hire a professional to put an end to the carnage.  At some point, unless something is done, someone will get seriously hurt or killed at that intersection.  It has to happen.  The car on Columbia that was totaled (bent rear axle) and knocked out a NO PARKING sign could have been a motorcycle, moped or bicycle, in which case someone would have died. A few weeks ago, while walking near the intersection in the daytime, I watched a car on 4th go straight through a red light and continue on, only because no Columbia traffic met it in the middle of the intersection.

According to the city code and the prevailing "wisdom" at City Hall, the only person who can make that intersection less dangerous is Police Commissioner Shane NO SHOW Bower.  We're screwed.  If I am the one killed at that intersection because of yet another red light runner, the city might be screwed, because they will be sued.  And they will pay.

"Didn't see the light," caused the crash, 
minor damage to car which eventually drove away.
.

Do you suppose the driver got a ticket 
for "not seeing the red light"?

Thankfully, the tree was spared!

HUDseen last reported on a crash at that intersection on May 21st, just over two months ago.  That 3-car crash happened on a Saturday afternoon at1:30 pm on a clear day.  Today's crash, also on a clear Saturday, took place at 3 pm.  On May's HPD accident report the address of the crash is listed as 17 N. 4th Street.   The problem is with 4th & Columbia, not 17 N. 4th, and should be noted as such. On Tuesday, February 20th there was an accident at 4th & Columbia which is listed as N 4th St/Columbia Street.  If the city can't be consistent, there's no way to focus on the problem.  How will they refer to the location of today's crash?  How about the former Helsinki's address?  Why not?

Interestingly, the pickup truck that caused that crash ran the red light on Columbia headed west, totaling at least one of the other two cars involved.  That pickup suffered minor superficial damage.  One person was sent to the hospital after that crash.  Read about it all here:  Yet another crash

If the red light runner doesn't pay to have
the sign replaced, who do you suppose will?