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Traffic Matters

A hidden danger is lurking

In Rio Vista

By: Charles Tatelbaum

A recent entry in the log of the
Rio Vista Patrol stated the following:

Saturday, 23rd of March 2019

0840 - took 10 minutes to evaluate
the stop signs at Cordova and 9 St.
15 out of 18 vehicles ran the stop
signs, 10 were slow rolls and 5 were
no slow-downs. 3 actually made a
full stop. I will begin ticketing after a

little more evaluation.
his is a wake-up call to all of us of a growing and
persistent problem in Rio Vista that may lead to a
Tdisaster. As one who walks/jogs throughout our
neighborhood in pre-dawn hours and at dusk during the week
and during daylight hours on the weekends, I know firsthand
that our neighbors have grown accustomed to ignoring the
mandates of two-way and four-way stop signs within Rio Vista.
Especially when it is dark and drivers believe that the absence
of oncoming headlights gives them impunity from obeying the
stop signs, I have regularly seen that there is not even an
attempt to obey the legal mandate to stop. More than once, I
have come close to being struck as a pedestrian because the
vehicle driver did not look to see that I was crossing in her/his
path (with the right-of-way).
Unfortunately, it may take the tragic injury or worse of a
pedestrian or bicyclist who becomes involved with the
collision with a vehicle ignoring a stop sign before there is
the needed awakening that all of us in our community have
the social and legal obligation to obey the stop signs.
We are fortunate that traffic in Rio Vista is usually limited to
residents and a few guests, and this provides a unique

14 rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com