The Pinole City Council approved funding for pedestrian safety measures on Tennent Avenue following a collision last year that killed a longtime member of St. Joseph’s Church, Mayor Devin T. Murphy recently announced on Facebook.
Immediate measures, according to the mayor, include safety improvements on Tennent at Pear and Plum Streets.
At Pear Street, striped bulbouts with soft bollards will be installed on the circumference at all corners of the intersection (existing parking stall markings will be removed), along with high visibility crosswalks and pavement markings on all legs and high visibility yield road signs.
The intersection at Plum Street will see the installation of a rectangular rapid flashing beacon, high visibility crosswalks and pavement markings on all legs, and high visibility yield signs.
The improvements come in the wake of community calls for safety measures after Carol Lujan, who served as Faith Formation Coordinator at St. Joseph’s Church, located on Tennent between Plum and Pear streets, was fatally struck while crossing in a crosswalk on Tennant at Pear by a distracted driver on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.
Following the tragedy, a Change.org petition called for safety improvements at the intersections traversed by church goers and families attending St. Joseph’s School.
On Feb. 22, Mayor Murphy announced on social media: “Tonight, I am proud to announce we authorized funding for the Traffic Safety Improvements on the Tennent Avenue Corridor Project — a major investment in the safety of our residents.”
The mayor said the Council also adopted the city’s first-ever Local Road Safety Plan, “which is our blueprint to ensure we make necessary improvements to critical intersections that present danger and risk in our community.”
