SAN ANTONIO – Those who live and work near the Southeast Side intersection of South New Braunfels and Steves avenues say walking and driving in the area can be risky.
Jesse Rodriguez, who often uses the bus stop at the intersection, said his back problems slow him down when he walks, so he’s always on guard.
“The last time I was crossing, somebody just turned. I had to back up, and I was like, ‘really?’” Rodriguez said.
"They know there’s a speed limit, but do they care?” he questioned.
Laura Garza, a clerk at the convenience store on the corner, said she’s seen and heard about accidents at or near the intersection.
“Some have been, like, hit-and-runs, and then some have been like where they actually stop,” Garza said.
A driver who struck a 6-year-old boy as he and his family were crossing South New Braunfels on Sunday night stopped after the the the collision happened
San Antonio police said the boy had injuries that were not life-threatening. They said, according to witnesses, vehicles had the green light.
Police said the mother of the boy told them her son ran ahead of them when he was hit by a driver who didn’t see him.
No charges are pending in the case, police said.
Rodriguez said it would help if there were crosswalk signals on the poles at the intersection. He said he and others have started to cross the street when there’s a green light, but it suddenly turns red when they’re in the middle of the road.
Rebecca Viagran, who represents City Council District 3, said accidents like those involving the little boy are why she is “fully supportive that the city of San Antonio is undertaking Vision Zero."
“Vision Zero is about creating a culture of traffic safety using a data-driven approach,” she said.
Viagran said the city’s Transportation and Capital Improvements Department has no record of any pedestrian crashes at the intersection in four years.
“I always emphasize traffic-pedestrian education and emphasize constant vigilance to oncoming vehicles as pedestrians cross the street, to avoid serious injury or fatality,” she said.
Viagran’s office said Tuesday that the traffic signal is being rebuilt to include a pedestrian signal.