Why don't they just put a pedestrian light? Like the kind where when the light isn't on you drive normal, when it starts flashing yellow you know to slow down, and when it turns red you stop. It's not timed like normal traffic lights because it is only activated if a pedestrian is there to push the button. Then in the morning and afternoon when there is usually a large group of students they can mostly cross all at one time, and during other hours of the day when there isn't as much foot traffic, regular traffic won't have to worry about the light because most of the time it won't be active. Austin has them, and I find it much easier to deal with as both a driver and pedestrian.

re: crossing guards. I attended the city council meeting a couple of weeks ago when Chief Ure was there to explain about the trail and answer questions. He stated that Crossing Guards are a courtesy, but they are not certified peace officers and no one HAS to abide by them. They cant issue tickets, nor can the MAKE a car stop. I do agree that we need flashing lights, a 20 MPH school zone from 7-8:30am and 4-5 PM. I also agree that we need a school zone around the two high schools so that folks cant TALK ON THE DARN CELL PHONE AND WILL HAVE LESS DISTRACTIONS..........

Nah pecos, np at all. Just think, it won't be long until the trail follows the Airline extension to the new U(H)V, or whatever name it will have. Then the walkers/runners/bikers/ college students will have to figure out how to cross Loop 463.

The most obvious thing about this whole problem, is that someone approved the hike and bike trail to cross four (4) major streets at non-intersection portions of the roadway. Motorists can't be expected to understand the stick figure signs, while traveling 40 mph and watching for other traffic. Even if the locals grow to expect the crossings and know what the signs mean, there are always out-of-towners that will go though these areas.

How many people, council included, looked at the plans and couldn't see potential problems. History would show that the city doesn't like for anyone to say "its a good idea-But".

It is not jay walking,,,the crosswalk is still marked on the street!!!!The city didn't take the flashing light down until last week when they reopened the bike-hike trail. Can you spell S-T-U-P-I-D (meaning the city)....

GMVM, it seems you do not expect the kids to make good decisions or to cross where it is not only legal, but safer. Instead you make excuses for them & expect the rest of the town to bend to the will of a few....that attitude is exactly why kids run out into the street without looking, cuz nobody taught them not to, they expect the world to stop just for them because that is what mommy/daddy preaches.

GMVM...It's not a "so called radar trap." It's a REAL radar trap. Why shouldn't kids who break the law by jay walking NOT get a ticket? Sauce for the goose; sauce for the gander. Drivers don't want to hit kids with their cars -- it dents fenders and messes up the paint and makes you late for work. After a few kids get ticketed for jay walking, the word would get around and the problem would, like speeding in school zones, go away for the most part.

myvu Report a Violation
Permalink Well, city council, you have outdone yourselves. Get the body bag ready. Have you seen the way these punk kids just walk out in front of cars? And this Marissa chick who is too lazy to walk to the corner. Give me a break. Oh well, most likely the victim will be a deserving one.

Really? Punk kids, deserving to be a victim. I cant say here what I REALLY think about you or your comment.

I feel writing jay walking tickets would be a good start to correct this problem, however, it would JUST be a start. I believe once a few kids received citations for jay walking, others would think twice about making the same mistake. As a driver, I would hate to be in a situation where I hit a kid, for any reason, with my vehicle. But, if jay walking at a certain street is an issue the city recognizes, something big needs to be done, not only to protect the kids, but the drivers as well.

thewaywardwind.....it is a wast of taxpayer dollars to have VPD write jay walking tickets...come on you have to see this.....now writing them for speeders in school zones I can see after all they are driving a killing machine....big difference from a kid jay walking. Trying to put this on the kids makes no sense. If adults did what they were supposed to do they would not have your so called radar traps but yet you expect kids to do the right thing???

I agree with you "JeffWilliams" If the city council had their heads on straight the crosswalk would have been routed elsewhere. I drive stockbauer regularly and the first time I came upon this new sign I had never seen in any DOT hand book I was baffled. I almost hit an idiot that walked right out into the street in front of me. I don't believe it was a very smart idea for a crosswalk, it could have been planned better.......Maybe......a tunnel? or an overhead walk? or..........make the cars stop traveling down stockbauer when somebody is wanting to use the trail walk crossing....hey now there is your solution.

myvu. Do you think before you speak (or write)? Punk kids, Marissa chick? Then you state the victim will be a "deserving one".
Your avatar of an American flag is disturbing. Anonymity is not always a good thing with this attitude.

Maybe if one gets hit and is left lying in the street for awhile like when animals get run over, the others will take notice.

Crosswalk or not... it really doesn't matter. These kids are gonna cross anywhere they feel like it. Its too far to walk 2/10th of a mile to Mockingbird or 3/10th of a mile to Ben Jordan. I watched two track boys at East run out into the road between Jordan and the crosswalk just last week, causing two cars to have to brake hard, They never even looked at what cars were coming. And in no way should we ask these parents to police their own children.

GMVM...How is it a waste of taxpayer dollars to have cops writing tickets for jaywalking, but it's perfectly okay to have'em set up radar traps at school zones for drivers? If one is a waste, then they both are. I contend the jay-walking tickets would generate enough revenue to make it a worthwhile thing to do -- just like the school zones generate revenue. After a while, people slow down in the school zones and after a while, the kids would learn to cross where it's legal.

I believe Council has made another very short-sided decision. This entire situation has been compounded by the fact Council will not admit a mistake was made in the original trail design by placing a crossing at this location. This crossing, mid-block in a 40MPH zone was a mistake from the beginning and in my opinion nothing has been done to address it.

The City's official position, as quoted by the Advocate is "The trail is open, but we do not encourage pedestrians to cross John Stockbauer at that location,". I find this to be an amazing statement when the facts are at this point there are curb cuts at this location in addition to cross hatch markings in the street. Both of these are definate encouragements to cross at this location. This trail needs to be removed (concrete broken out)back 300 feet in both directions from Stockbauer and any trace of a crossing removed.

I drove through this section of Stockbauer just this morning well after school was already in session. Two young men stepped into the road way from the school side of Stockbauer causing one vehicle to brake hard to stop (outside lane) while the vehicle in the inside lane continued on and did not even apply their brakes (or their brake lights are not working). This is a difficult location to see pedestrians, especially ones dressed in all black, as there are multiple telephone poles, fence posts and other distractions. The point being a pedestrian crossing mid-block in a 40MPH zone is a safety hazard and the consequences of it remaining "as is" are going to be tragic, in my opinion.

I still vote for a pedestrian bridge. Pedestrians are too dumb to know to look both ways, and drivers don't really care if they run down a kid or not. What is up with this town?

Members of the city council should go to bed each night knowing that when someone DOES get killed here, it will be ENTIRELY their faults. They basically just re-opened the trail instead of dealing with it, taking the easy way out and putting a low worth on human lives.

Everyone is complaining about open or dont open the trail, over walks or rerouting the trail,over putting in lights, and I suggested a crossing guard like a off duty officer to stop traffic for pedestrians during school hours. But the whole thing is up the the city counsel. We voted these people into their positions and if they cant listen to the public, they need to be voted out its that simple. Stop bashing each other and the kids and take a stand and make a difference!

Seriously the idiots that are putting the blame on kids obviously dont have any. How can you expect kids to make good decisions when the adults around them dont. As far as having parents volunteer to be crossing guards.....most people work plus the parents did not come up with this plan nor did the kids. And why waste tax payer dollars having VPD writing jay walking tickets when their are high priority crimes for them to deal with. VISD has 20 mph school zones everywhere else. Set one up around East for before and after school and you wont have crazy drivers doing 40 (or over) on Stockbauer.

This is really kind of crazy; I guess the advocate feels it is ok to allow comments on this story, but not some other ones out there (option to comment NOT on one in particular). So for what it is worth (and probably not much) nothing was done to the area, the trail was reopened. Why in the world did they put it there to begin with, did the people planning it not even look at the street and study traffic and realize it was in a dumb place for a crossing to begin with?

Okay, I agree that the cross-walk was put at the most ridiculous spot possible. However, it is NOT one mile from the stop light at Ben Jordan, as one student commented in a previous article. And while some may THINK that putting up a flashing light close to a School Zone light may be a good idea, did any of you EVER drive around MHS in the past when school let out? There were overly-convenient cross-walks and the students were absolute idiots. Didn't matter if they had the right-of-way or not, or if cars were coming or not. They just walk right out in traffic as if it is their God-given right to do so. Traffic law may say you have to stop for pedestrians IN the cross-walk, but it does NOT say you have to stop for those crossing in the middle of street.

I am in no way advocating hitting people with your car; however, police officers are not needed to "assist students with crossing the street." The student in the article standing in the middle of the turn lane is not behaving in an intelligent manner. She could get hit. I see it all the time out on Navarro as well. You stand in the middle of the street, you are going to get hit.

Students - get some personal responsibility. If you want to be safe, cross at a stop light. It's really not that hard a concept to grasp. It's a wonder these students can even get to class without assistance.

Yes, this is a harsh comment. It's time Victorians moved on from this topic of conversation. Students, you don't own the world and the world will not stop for your every desire. I don't like much of what the City Council does, but even if they were perfect, it would be impossible for them to fulfill the needs of each and every citizens of this town.

Of course, the City's comment of "well the barricades weren't working, so let's just take them down" is as dumb as it comes. From there it's not a far step to "well, they're going to drink so might as well buy it for them." By all means let's not have rules that are inconvenient.

The cross walk pedestrian activated light was not taken down until after the decision to reopen the trail. The striping for the crosswalk was never removed, so the crosswalk was never really closed. The bike-hike trail was closed. Come on people. Lower the speed limits, put an officer nearby at between 8-8:30 and 4-4;30 and put the pedestrian light back up maybe make it red this time so drivers aren't "confused". And how about an officer to help those kids cross Mockingbird? I have to be at my school by 7:20 and have 2 teen agers who have to cross there daily. I asked about this in early August.

"the council voted 7 - 0 to reopen the trail".

Way to go city council!
This was a good, logical decision. If the barricades did not stop the people crossing there, there is no need for the barricades. As mentioned in previous Advocate reports, the high school kids are going to walk across any street, in front of any amount of cars when ever they want.

Welcome, to the land of the free. Alnog with freedom comes the consequences of your decisions.

Again to the city council, Well done!

This whole thing is one mongolian cluster f _ _ _! It will take years for this to be sorted out. The question is............How much is one life worth? Is it worth installing overhead crossings or a traffic light? Who has to die before the city figures out what to do?

well, the city does not want to spend money on overhead side walks or anything else that would make it safer.
Best thing to do, and most affordable is a crossing guard to stop traffic...

transporter

Why not make a overhead walk way?? Something that was suggested way back then when the school was first being considered of being built?? Hind site or just plain duhhh ??

5 lanes + teenage invincibility + Victoria drivers = Foregone Conclusion

http://goo.gl/maps/1P1S

why dont they put in crossing guards like over on mockingbird?

I live in the subdivision directly across from the only entrance to East High School. Because of my work schedule, I miss the morning rush to the school and the evening rush away. Today, being a holiday for me, I left the house about four o'clock to run an errand and was astonished at the number of cars parked on both sides of Carriage Lane and Pennsylvania waiting for kids leaving school. What a mess! My wife, bless her heart, told me I need to get out more so I can see what the geniuses at VISD did for us.

I've got no problem with this decision. Kids have been crossing streets to get to school for as long as there have been streets. This is not an elementary school and it is high time they be allowed to make decisions for themselves as to what is the best and safest way to get to school.

I guess in these days and times it would be silly to ask some of the concerned parents of these high school children who use the bike/hike trail crossing to volunteer to be traffic control officers carrying a large stop sign and wearing a yellow vest before and after school.

The deputy director of public works said the barricades weren't doing any good in keeping people from crossing them. Did the PD ever post cops there and write jay-walking tickets to the kids who crossed illegally? The city doesn't seem to have a problem with putting cops at school zones with radar to write speeding ticket to motorists. If the jay-walking tickets carried the kind of fines speeding in school zones does, I'd bet a whopper against a big mac that it would not be long till the kids got the point: DON"T CROSS THE STREET THERE.

Well, city council, you have outdone yourselves. Get the body bag ready. Have you seen the way these punk kids just walk out in front of cars? And this Marissa chick who is too lazy to walk to the corner. Give me a break. Oh well, most likely the victim will be a deserving one.