Marcela Ortiz and her neighbors aren’t willing to wait until someone gets killed.

They are vowing to step up pressure on the city to improve traffic safety on Cottage Avenue.

One of their neighbors earlier this year was severely injured trying to turn onto Cottage where sightline issues combine with speed and heavy traffic volume to make movements treacherous. The injured man is now getting around using a walker.

And while the city did make one improvement — they made parking illegal on the east side of Cottage between the access to Cottage Village and the Highway 99 over crossing — it has done nothing to stop the accidents. There have been three more since then bringing the accident count to seven since the complex opened in late 2020.

That includes one high speed solo accident where a motorist slammed into a resident’s car parked on Cottage before the city banned parking and then plowed into a tree.

“Residents are afraid to leave,” Ortiz said of the safety debacle on Cottage where it intersects with Alameda Street.

And even though the city spent in excess of $150,000 on a study two years ago to make Manteca more pedestrian and cyclist friendly, they have a fear of crossing Cottage on foot at the intersection due to speed and visibility issues.

It is why Ortiz and her neighbors are gearing up to press the city to do at least two things:

*Put in place speed tables like they have done on Hacienda Avenue to slow traffic.

*Install a high visibility crosswalk at Cottage and Alameda.

And while problematic high-profile vehicles haven’t parked recently to the south of the Cottage Village access and a nearby residential driveway, posting that area for no parking or at least with signs restricting parking to vehicles that are less than 6 feet in height could reduce sightline issues.

Exiting the 48-unit senior complex is easily one of the most dangerous left turns in Manteca when it comes to sightline obstructions.

On Monday driving a Ford Focus it was virtually impossible to see approaching northbound traffic that more often than not was exceeding the posted speed limit due to a Land Rover and a GMC Jimmy parked on either side of an adjacent driveway.

It is a situation made worst by the city-approved street improvements that widened Cottage after it passes the last house on the east side of the street. The setback means cars exiting Cottage Village need to roll out a good 10 or so feet into the street to better see oncoming traffic.

But that has diminishing returns when a northbound vehicle is stopped trying to make a left run onto Alameda and a car behind it swings to the right to pass.

Ortiz said residents have had pleasant interactions with city staff that has come out, looked at the problems, and listened to their concerns. But they are frustrated that it hasn’t translated into workable solutions being put in place.

Ortiz, a former transit bus driver in Lodi, noted residents have started carpooling when they leave the complex in a vehicle in the hope extra eyes will add a measure of safety looking for breaks in traffic on Cottage that often exceeds the speed limit.

A number of residents would prefer to walk to shop at Food-4-Less or for exercise in the neighborhoods to the west but eschew crossing Cottage in front of the apartment complex.

Ortiz noted that most residents don’t move that fast making crossing a street even more treacherous.

Residents do not have the option of accessing city’s neighborhood traffic program given it exempts collector streets and arterials.

Any effort to trigger a city hall search for a solution would therefore need to be called for by the council and not neighborhood groups going through the traffic calming protocols.

Elected officials — as well as planning commission members — expressed concerns that what is now happening could occur when the complex was going through the approval process.

The staff in place at the time assured both the council and commissioners that traffic consultants hired by the city said the intersection would not create safety issues. Staff promised to monitor it and said the city would act when traffic numbers might justify making it a possible four-way stop.

Cottage Avenue is particularly problematic. For years it was a city street that turned into a county road. But as growth has occurred traffic increased especially after Spreckels Avenue linked Cottage to Industrial Park Drive more than 10 years ago.

It is when traffic patterns morphed Cottage into a quasi-arterial.

It also doesn’t help that the Alameda intersection is near the foot of the freeway overcrossing that ends up increasing the speed of motorist heading south as they cross the bridge’s crown.

Ortiz said residents plan to attend a future council meeting to press their concerns.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com