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San Jose Installs Devices, Materials at Some Intersections to Combat Sideshows

San Jose may finally have found a way to combat one of the city’s biggest headaches, sideshows.

For the past three months, they’ve been installing devices and materials to make intersections smaller and harder for activities like drifting. They’re called intersection treatments.

“It was mostly four or five days a week and its calmed down to maybe once a week and it’s not crazy,” said San Jose resident Tina Sandoval.

A few months ago, the city’s transportation department started installing Botts’ Dots, raised pavement markers and other devices meant to make roads and intersections safer and much narrower.

“The very thing that makes an intersection attractive for doing donuts is what makes an intersection work, it’s got enough room for traffic to enter from different directions and to make safe turns. So, we have to strike a balance between tightening up those intersections while still allowing traffic to flow,” said Colin Heyne with the City of San Jose’s Transportation Department.

So far, the city has treated nine intersections identified as hotspots and a 10th location is in the works. The finished projects include Little Orchard and Bernard Avenue and Ruby Avenue by Tully Road.

Residents said the barriers have deterred big sideshows, but they are still seeing drivers doing donuts or taking the show a little further up where there’s nothing stopping them. Another big concern with the barriers are how confusing they could be.

“They don’t know if your turning left or your U-tuning because it’s so wide,” said San Jose resident Jason Hobbs.

In about three or four more months, the city will be receiving a detailed impact report from police. They are hoping to get some community input as well to determine if this is the right way to go.


Source: NBC Bay Area

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