Those who live near the intersection of Howard and Hildebrand, just north of downtown, are asking for change after a recent deadly crash.
Neighbors tell us there aren’t enough safety measures in place for the amount of traffic in the area.
“The road is certainly not at all suitable for the amount of traffic it carries. Sometimes it’s one lane, sometimes it’s two lanes, sometimes people don’t know what the heck they’re doing while they’re driving on it,” said Peter Hugill the traffic committee chair for the Monte Vista Historical Association.
Hugill said the intersection is known for crashes, speeding, near-misses and tires screeching as they try and come to a stop.
On Wednesday evening, a crash was reported near West Hildebrand Avenue and Howard Street.
Police said a man in his 40s was driving a pickup truck and heading westbound at a high rate of speed.
The driver ran a red light and hit a vehicle heading north.
The man driving the truck was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Two occupants of the vehicle hit by the truck were not injured.
“It’s about people’s safety. It’s about people’s lives and last night we lost one. We could have lost more, so how many lives does it take before we take action?” Pat DiGiovanni, a nearby neighbor, said.
A major concern for those in the area is the lack of line of sight. If you pull up to the light driving on Howard, you can not see traffic coming from Hildebrand -- properties are pushed up against the street leading to the high fence lines.
There are also trees and utility poles obstructing the vision of drivers.
Neighbors’ concerns have made it to District 1 Councilman Mario Bravo.
Bravo said they have already delayed the lights to give a bigger buffer between lights switching from red to green, have plans to add a crosswalk next month, and will be having a meeting with residents next week.
