Efficient and safer traffic movements on existing streets need to be a higher priority with Manteca’s elected leaders.

You have a much higher risk being in a traffic accident in Manteca than you do being a victim of a crime. At the same time the biggest waste of time may not be heavily traveled streets but intersections that the city has failed to keep pace with the times through simple adjustments.

Manteca needs to revisit existing intersections and key streets to look for little things to make traveling a lot safer and less frustrating whether you are in a vehicle, on a bicycle, or on foot.

Three spots illustrate ways that little changes can make a big difference — Cottage Avenue at East Yosemite Avenue, the stretch of Union Road in front of the golf course and Moffat Boulevard at Cowell Avenue.

Traffic volume on Cottage Avenue has increased since the missing link on Industrial Park Drive was put in place to give motorists a way to bypass downtown. At the same time growth in the Woodward Park area and increased truck movements have made the    Cottage-Spreckels-Industrial Park Drive-Mission Ridge Drive corridor a much different animal today than it was eight years ago.

Traffic throughout the day — but mostly during the afternoon — is so heavy on southbound Cottage at Yosemite it can take two signal light changes to clear the intersection.

The city could easily double the volume of vehicles that can clear the light in a single sequence and do so without spending a ton of money.

All they need to do is whittle down the size of a yellow striped “island” by about two feet, shift the left turn lane to eastbound Yosemite over and add a second lane for thru traffic.

Looking for such small changes to reduce idling traffic is identified in the city’s adopted general plan as a critical way to improve air quality. But why should the city implement the general plan that serves as a blue print for growth to the fullest? It’s just a document to appease the state powers that mandated it, right?

The 200 and 300 blocks of North Union Road defy logic. It is the only stretch of Union Road through Manteca where on-street parking is allowed. As a result there is no safe passage for bicyclists heading south on what is without a doubt one of the city’s top five major arterials.

Since on-street parking is not allowed under city rules to count toward parking needs for commercial developments, why is it needed or allowed on that section of Union Road? More importantly, why isn’t the city making a judgment about safety and traffic flow today given how the traffic count has gone up significantly on Union Road over the past 20 years?

The city does seem serious about encouraging bicycling to reduce traffic and congestion. It is why it is curious that this stretch of Union Road is about as friendly to bicyclists as a 100-degree day is to an ice cube when the fix is simple.

The Moffat and Cowell example illustrates how safety issues get out to the wayside even when the design standards look right.

Moffat once it passes the Spreckels BMX Park widens. As a result, the westbound lane shifts to the right to accommodate parking on both sides of the remainder of Moffat. It brings traffic that rarely goes the posted 35 mph speed limit perilously close to Cowell Avenue where drivers have an impeded view of westbound traffic. This prompts drivers to “creep out” or to make blatantly unsafe turn movements that lead routinely to close calls.

People driving slower would be the best answer but that isn’t happening. And although the city restricted parking at the corner, the best solution would be to jog the travel lanes to a point farther to the west especially since no one parks on the south side save for someone advertising a garage sale on their vehicle.

None of this is meant to slam the city. Things change over the years and unless key people on city staff travel the same areas day in and day out they can’t really get the feel for the accumulative effect.

It is why the city needs to conduct an internal “major street audit” to identify safety and flow issues that can be remedies with relatively small dollar investments.

The goal would be to save energy, reduce air pollution, improve traffic flow and enhance safety.



This column is the opinion of executive editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Bulletin or Morris Newspaper Corp. of CA.  He can be contacted at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com or 209.249.3519.