Fatal crash revives calls for traffic sign

Police interviewed the driver of the truck that killed a Juneau woman Tuesday night and continued the investigation Thursday to decide whether any criminal charges are warranted, Police Capt. Tom Porter said Thursday.

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Police have not released the driver's name, Porter said.

Meanwhile, the accident has raised criticism from advocates who want a warning device installed and better street lighting at the intersection.

Angela N. Bradley, 35, died after being struck while walking across Douglas Highway at the intersection of Cordova Street. Bradley, a housekeeper at the Baranof Hotel, was walking in the crosswalk at the time of the accident.

State law says motorists must yield the right of way to pedestrians in a crosswalk, Porter said.

Porter declined to provide details of the accident while the investigation is pending, but said the road was wet that night. The male driver operated a 2001 Dodge delivery truck and was alone, he said. He stopped after hitting Bradley and was on the scene when police arrived, Porter said.

The Douglas Area Advisory Board has been lobbying for two years to get a triangular yellow warning sign with a yellow flashing light at the site of the accident, Chairman Dennis Adams said Thursday. The sign is similar to those in school zones warning motorists to slow down. Adams, who used to work for an architectural firm which designed traffic and highway lighting, estimated the yellow sign and light would cost $6,000.

The board in 2002 sent the recommendation to former Mayor Sally Smith, who forwarded it to the state Department of Transportation because Douglas Highway is state-owned, Adams said. The board got no reaction from the department, Adams said.

"How many bodies do we need before they'll listen to us?" Adams said.

Adams also criticized an April 2004 transportation department study that said the intersection of Douglas Highway and Cordova Street did not warrant a traffic signal.

Rick Purves, a senior traffic safety engineer who conducted the study, explained the department's position Thursday.

"We feel that a lot of the problem there is due to excessive speed and the roundabout will slow everyone down," Purves said.

The roundabout, to be installed in front of the Breeze In convenience store at the Douglas Bridge, will force vehicles to slow to about 15 to 20 mph, Purves said. Now vehicles can pass through that zone at 35 mph or faster, he said. The bid for the roundabout project has been let, but Purves was not sure when it would be completed.

About 11,300 vehicles pass through the intersection of Cordova and Douglas Highway daily, but the state installs traffic lights based on the number of accidents, Purves said. It found eight crashes occurred at the intersection in a three-year period and they had no pattern, the study said.

Five or more preventable crashes in one year warrant installing a traffic signal, according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices issued by the federal Highway Administration, Purves said. DOT adheres to those guidelines.

The peak traffic hour at the intersection met 83 percent of the minimum volume needed to install a signal, the study said. The number of pedestrians met 25 percent of the volume needed, it said.

DOT never installs a signaling device based on one fatality, Purves said, adding that it would be "irresponsible" because some traffic lights can also cause traffic accidents.

Purves planned to visit the accident site today to inspect the street lighting, he said.

Douglas resident Mark Whitman worries about children waiting for a school bus and darting across the highway to visit the Breeze In, he said Thursday.

"Just driving every evening and morning, it's the least visible location," Whitman said.

Whitman would like to see better street lighting and a containment structure in which children can wait for the bus, he said.

• Tara Sidor can be reached at tara.sidor@juneauempire.com