Richard Hansen thinks the City of Manteca should step up to improve pedestrian safety near Doctors Hospital of Manteca and slow down traffic.
Manteca Councilman Vince Hernandez agrees.
Hansen spoke at Tuesday’s council meeting about what just about anyone who lives in Manteca and accesses Doctors Hospital knows — crossing North Street from the main parking lot to the hospital entrance can be dicey.
The city’s widest crosswalk is in place in front of the medical facility but still motorists often don’t slow down when people are crossing.
Hernandez said one solution might be to narrow North Street at the pedestrian crossing using bulb-outs such as the city has employed on Crom Street and required in newer developments where streets intersect by parks to enhance pedestrian safety.
The bulb outs essentially eliminates the parking space on each side of the street ad brings the edge of the curb to the travel lane. On North Street it would reduce the distance that pedestrian actually have to cross North Street by almost half. Traffic engineers note bulb-outs — by narrowing the street — typically slow down traffic due to driver’s perception.
Hansen said it can be especially daunting for patients using walkers or canes
Hernandez also happens to serve on the hospital’s governing board.

Trees treated
differently
at Del Webb
So when do diseased or dead trees in Manteca city right of way don’t have to be replaced?
The answer: Apparently when they are along city right of way in Del Webb at Woodbridge.
Bill Barnhardt, a Del Webb resident, brought the issue to the Manteca City Council’s attention on Tuesday. He said Del Webb management has refused to replace the trees after they are removed. That goes contrary to policy elsewhere in the city but apparently Del Webb is exempted from it due to development agreement language they inked with the city.
Municipal staff confirmed Del Webb’s version of the rules.
That doesn’t sit too well with Barnhardt. He believes such a policy puts those living within the Del Webb Woodbridge Association that Pule Homes put in place at a disadvantage since their expectation of tree replacement under city policies is not occurring.
The quandary should be a nice test of the resolve of Manteca municipal leaders to live up to the Tree City USA Award that they’ve won for roughly 20 straight years and celebrate on an annual basis.