'When they say it's not a hazard, they're wrong'

Cars on Monday rushed past a growing collection of roses, balloons and Teddy bears at the northern end of the Santa Rosa crosswalk where 15-year-old Michelle Cordova was struck and killed last week.

City officials and and police say there is little history of accidents at the crosswalk that spans West College Avenue at Link Lane. But last week's fatality came as no surprise to many residents who say the data doesn't reflect their experience crossing West College Avenue, a main artery connecting east and west Santa Rosa.

"When they say it's not a hazard, they're wrong," said Clover Drive resident Jennifer Shipp, 56.

"I felt really terrible for the driver - you can't see the crosswalk coming," Shipp said. "This is about caring for drivers as well."

Cordova was crossing the street with her cousin Wednesday evening when she was struck by a vehicle driven by 22-year-old Orion Swank of Santa Rosa. Swank said he didn't see Cordova or her cousin in the crosswalk. Cordova died at the hospital shortly after the collision.

Police weren't available for comment Monday, but Sgt. Doug Schlief said last week that the intersection hasn't been the site of many accidents.

The city hadn't received complaints about the intersection until last week's collision, said Rob Sprinkle, a supervising traffic engineer for the city public works department.

"It hasn't been a high collision location on our evaluations," Sprinkle said.

The city installed neon green pedestrian signs and painted stripes on crosswalks at that intersection and others across the city about 10 years ago, Sprinkle said.

Maria Martinez got off a city bus on the southern end of the crosswalk Monday afternoon and waited several minutes before a driver stopped and waved at her to cross the street.

"It's really difficult," Martinez said.

Martinez, 18, said she uses the crosswalk twice a week for her part time job at an after school program at the 99-unit Terracina at Santa Rosa apartments where Cordova lived.

"Sometimes cars on one side stop and sometimes cars going the other way don't stop," Martinez said.

Carmen Carillo, a resident of Clover Drive, said she was nearly hit recently while crossing West College Avenue at Link Lane.

"It's very dangerous," said Carillo, 77, who has lived in the neighborhood more than 40 years.

Crosswalks may give a false sense of security to pedestrians, said Phil Demery, director of transportation and public works for Sonoma County government.

"From my perspective it's better not to have a crosswalk. That way when they cross a street they're being very diligent," Demery said, careful to note that that is not the case in all situations.

"You just have to be very very careful," he said.

Neighbors banded together about five years ago to ask the city to put in a traffic light at the intersection and speed bumps in the neighborhood, said Edie Uboldi, who has lived nearby on Blossom Way for about 45 years.

"The city said we don't need them," Uboldi said. "What are you going to do? You can't fight the city."

Cordova's death has spurred renewed hope among some nearby residents that the city would install a stop light or pedestrian-activated warning lights at the intersection.

"We know how the city is strapped, so we'll take what we can get," Uboldi said. "I'm not sure one fatal injury will give us a stoplight."