David J. Silva: The only endangered species at this corner are our children
It is agreed by the city of Los Banos and Cal-Trans that a traffic light is badly needed at the corner of 11th Street and Highway 152. Because of the number of students who cross the highway at this point, this is an accident waiting to happen. The five-year time frame Caltrans has put on the project is unacceptable.
According to Caltrans, the project will take that long because of the “many stages and documents” needed for a Caltrans project. If this is the case, then it’s time to revamp the process. Caltrans cites right-of-way and environmental needs as a problem. There is another stoplight just yards from this site, so right-of way should not be a problem, and there shouldn’t be any environmental problems because it’s already all asphalt and concrete. There are no endangered species, except for people.
Caltrans mentions designing it: this is a stoplight, not a city hall. How much design goes into it? All stoplights look the same. This sounds like the usual government bureaucracy while our children’s lives are in danger. Thanks to Scott Silveira, Deborah Lewis and the rest of the Los Banos City Council for speaking out.
David J. Silva, Los Banos
This story was originally published February 27, 2018 at 3:53 PM with the headline "David J. Silva: The only endangered species at this corner are our children."