In a letter to the Piedmont Post, Piedmont resident Rick Schiller points out that if PRFO is truly arguing that kids won’t cross between Coaches Field and the proposed Blair Park sports complex, then their plan shouldn’t include an unsafe mini-roundabout in order to mitigate traffic on Moraga Avenue.

(In reality, of course, the concession stand being proposed at Blair Park would provide a great deal of incentive for kids to cross the street from Coaches Field, as pointed out by Councilmember Garrett Keating in a comment on the Piedmont Civic Association website.)

I am relieved by PSC President Mark Landheer’s May 25 Post letter stating, “Kids at Blair Park will not cross Moraga Avenue.” The unsafe traffic mitigation proposed by ELS will no longer be necessary.

The Maxwelton Avenue mini-roundabout on a 7% slope in narrow-winding Moraga Avenue with no sidewalks, limited sight lines and obtuse angle side streets, is contrary to every standard practice in the Feb. 2010 Federal Highway Admin. Mini-roundabout Technical Summary (FHWA-SA-10-007). Placement at Maxwelton Avenue would be suicidal for bicyclists. Although previously adhering to FHA practices, ELS traffic engineer Michael Moule’s radical and experimental Maxwelton Avenue mini-roundabout would have been the first of its kind on the planet. With no children present, as Mark Landheer indicates, it is no longer needed.

Pedestrian activated crosswalks are ignored 3% of the time by drivers and by at least 30% of underage pedestrians. When these two percentages converge, disaster awaits. Fortunately, this crosswalk will not be needed, as no children will be crossing Moraga Avenue, according to Landheer.

If our City Council determines that children may indeed cross Moraga Avenue, realistic traffic mitigations should be analyzed by a reputable traffic engineering firm and considered carefully before implementation. To date, ELS has added and subtracted traffic elements at will. I ask for appropriate oversight and independent due diligence by City Administrator Grote.

Rick Schiller