SAN ANTONIO – Driving near Grissom and Old Grissom Road can be nerve-wracking.
Lorenzo Gonzales said making a left turn there feels dangerous. It’s why he avoids the intersection.
“It almost seems like it’s a guillotine,” he said. “You know, you can get hit by either side if you’re not careful.”
The intersection is no stranger to accidents, including deadly ones.
Yamini Karandikar said drivers shouldn’t take all the blame.
“Yes, people are speeding, but what other factors are involved?” she said.
Karandikar nominated the intersection and a crash that happened there in May 2023 to be analyzed by Strong Towns, a nonprofit advocacy organization focusing on civic engagement.
The nonprofit says its mission is to advocate for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable, and inviting.
“The design on the roadway really encourages people to speed,” noted one member of a Friday afternoon panel focusing on Grissom and Old Grissom Road.
According to the report of the crash that the group analyzed, the driver waiting at a stop sign on Old Grissom Road crashed into a car on Grissom Road.
That stop sign is the only traffic measure at the intersection.
The city’s public works department said it analyzed traffic data at the intersection in May 2023, with plans to install a traffic signal in the summer.
“The reality is the crashes are caused by multiple factors, not just driver error,” Tony Harris, an action team coordinator with Strong Towns said.
Joey Pawlik, the executive director of ActivateSA, said some solutions are simple and low-cost.
“We can install base rates again, maybe, you know, rumble strips or repainting the streets,” Pawlik said.
Until there’s a fix, Gonzales said he’ll continue taking a different route.
“Even though it might take another 2 or 3 minutes off the time going through that route, it’s just safer just to avoid it all over,” he said.
The city says the best way for people to give feedback on traffic safety is by calling 311 or online.
