Sacramento Plans to Fix Dangerous ‘Bermuda Triangle’ Streets

The City of Sacramento plans to invest $1 million to improve the triangular area comprising of H Street, J Street and Carlson Drive to fix its confusing layout and end the dangers posed to motorists and pedestrians.

The remake is intended to tame complicated street formations and safety hazards caused by its poor design, which has some calling it the “Bermuda Triangle.” City planners and engineers will make the $1 million investment on Monday in an attempt to make the area safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

The Current Problem

The dysfunctional area between the entrances of Sacramento State Park and River Park has persistently posed problems for the city’s commuters. Concerns for residents’ safety stems from the strangely mismanaged layout of the area. This includes oddly placed traffic signals that serve no purpose and sidewalks that start and end abruptly.

The Sacramento State student parking lot on J Street does not have a reliable route for students to safely cross the street to access the campus. H Street offers drivers a second lane that only lasts for one block before it suddenly disappears. Carlson Drive has green lanes marked for bicycles that end long before their intended destination and leave cyclists stranded in the road with no protection from the surrounding traffic.

Sacramento’s Plans to Fix the Area

The improvement project for H Street, J Street and Carlson Drive is so complex that the City of Sacramento is planning to release a video to adequately share its plan to fix the affected areas. The project include:

• H Street will be reduced to a one-car lane on both sides of Carlson Drive to eliminate unsafe competition between drivers to get ahead of one another before the second lane ends.
• Sidewalks will be installed to cut through three traffic islands on the west side of Carlson Drive at H Street.
• A crosswalk will be installed across J Street connecting the Sacramento State campus to the student parking lot.
• The misplaced, mid-block traffic signal on northbound Carlson Drive will be removed.
• A new traffic device will be installed on H Street to grant cyclists sole access to make a left turn while motorists wait their turn in traffic, which is expected to greatly increase roadway safety.
• Green bike lane markings will be added and “bike boxes” will be created at intersections, which would allow cyclists to wait at red lights in front of idle cars

Sacramento Addresses Safety Concerns for Cyclists and Pedestrians

Cyclist safety measures are also expected increase from Sacramento’s plans to address the problems that plague the area between Sacramento State and River Park.

Although the Sacramento’s auto accident rate has fallen 14 percent in recent years, the same cannot be said for cyclist and pedestrian-related car crashes. Sacramento’s efforts to improve roadway safety for all commuters comes as the city has experienced one of the higher instances of cyclist and pedestrian-related auto accidents, with people age 60 or older being the ones most often struck.

Sacramento safety officials are devoting some of the city’s limited street funds to address the dangers older commuters face and identify the exact cause of the issue. The initiative, called “Vision Zero,” is a city-wide traffic safety program devoted to eliminating pedestrian traffic fatalities.

Visions Zero will identify the factors contributing to traffic deaths and severe injuries and use effective countermeasures by integrating education, traffic engineering, enforcement and evaluation.

Accomplished Legal Help for Auto Accident Victims

Sacramento’s initiative to improve roadway safety throughout the city is a step in the right direction, but there are still many people who have been injured or lost a loved one during a severe auto accident.

Those who have suffered pain and loss because of a negligent driver can contact Arnold Law Firm’s experienced personal injury lawyers for a free legal consultation. We will review the details of your claim to determine if you are entitled to legal action and compensation.

Our attorneys work only on a contingency fee basis, which means you will never be charged upfront for our services. We only require payment if we recover damages for your claim.

Call (916) 777-7777 to contact a member of our legal team.