Stop Sign Not Planned For East Palo Alto Intersection Where Girl Was Killed

EAST PALO ALTO (KCBS) – Despite the recent death of a six-year-old girl in a crosswalk, a stop sign is not being recommended at the intersection of Bay and Gloria Streets, an intersection that many say is one of the most dangerous in East Palo Alto.

Last month, Sioreli Torres Zamora was struck and killed in a crosswalk by a teacher driving to school. The accident prompted calls from neighbors for better safety measures at the intersection.

The school district has posted a crossing guard in the area, but neighbor Maggy McDuffy said that's still not enough.

"When the crossing guard lady is here people are still speeding with her right here," said McDuffy. "She got in the middle of the road like two weeks ago and made them stop."

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

McDuffy isn't the only one who was surprised to hear that transportation experts hired by the city say a stop sign is not needed because there haven't been enough accidents in the area to warrant it.

East Palo Alto Mayor Carlos Romero said that the possibility of a stop sign is still on the table, but they are considering other safety measures, such as flashing lights to warn of pedestrians.

"If someone wants to cross they will press the button and the LEDs in the street flash, so it's kind of an additional redundancy so that drivers will see that someone is about to enter into the crosswalk.

Romero said that they plan to conduct a comprehensive safety study of Bay Road to make sure that parents feel comfortable with their kids walking and biking to school.

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