This article was written by BenitoLink intern Marisa Sachau
News consumers may already know about the “wonky” Ladd Lane by the media attention it received after the recent go-kart racing event put on by the city of Hollister on July 30. Despite the enthusiasm expressed by Mayor Ignacio Velasquez, residents who live on or near Ladd Lane are leaning on the side of changing the road back to the original design.
Ingrid Paz, who lives near the road, thinks the squiggles on the street are not being followed and people drive normally as though it were a regularly painted road.
“It’s kind of ridiculous,” said Paz. “They just drive straight.”
Another resident, Tracy Maiwald, finds hilarity in the situation when she drives down the road. “What else can you do but laugh?” Maiwald said.
Gabriela Hurtado-Vallejo, a resident in a nearby neighborhood, believes that the road should have never been changed. “That road is heavily traveled with people either dropping off students at Ladd Lane or people traveling back to their homes.”
The 0.75-mile, straight four-lane road had become irresistible to local drag racers. Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso said that speeding has been a frequent problem on Ladd Lane but is usually heard about after the fact. So, the city spent over $596,000 on a traffic calming plan that narrows the road suddenly then turns into an erratic zig-zag. The current plan is to round out the zig-zags, as the original traffic calming design intended.
“It is a wide roadway and it makes it easier for people who don’t even plan on speeding to drive too fast,” said Reynoso. “It no longer is a four-way roadway so we hope this will help reduce the speed of vehicles.”
Hollister City Manager Brett Miller said the traffic calming measures were approved by the Hollister City Council “due to the excessive speeds on Ladd Lane.”
Jeannine Ostoja, principal of Ladd Lane Elementary School, has not noticed the drag racing being an issue as it is something that happens at night. She said the squiggly lines of Ladd Lane have thus far not affected school drop-off or pick-up.
“I do hope that families will drive slower on that road regardless of what the lines look like just because children are around and safety is my No. 1 priority,” Ostoja said. “Especially during parent drop-off and pick up, I hope that parents can be patient and drive slow.”
Ostoja has noticed that the speed limit has been dropped to 25 mph on that road, which makes it safer for children walking or biking to and from school.
Paz does not hear or see the drag racing as she lives farther from Ladd Lane. “Funny thing, shortly after they started working on the Ladd Lane project, someone flew right through there and crashed into the sound wall across the street from the school,” she said.
Like Paz, Hurtado-Vallejo does not hear drag racing but has heard of it happening.
Maiwald said she has seen the drag racing and has noticed that now, because of the block in the middle of the road, people are treating it more like a slalom road course than a drag strip.
Both Paz and Maiwald agree that the road needs to be fixed.
“I think it should be fixed to the way it was before,” said Hurtado-Vallejo. “Especially the so-called ‘roundabouts.’ Those are a nuisance to drive around. The city has spent money on foolish ideas.”
Mrs. Jones, another area resident, agrees with Hurtado-Vallejo on the way the roundabouts are situated and believes it is an accident waiting to happen. She is more concerned about the roundabouts in the middle of Ladd Lane than the squiggly lines.
Asked if she would be okay with the road not being changed, Paz said she would not be surprised. “In this town, it seems like there has been a pattern of things not getting fixed properly,” she said.
If the road was to be given a grade, Paz said, “C-minus” and Hurtado-Vallejo said, “F.”
Hurtado-Vallejo has lingering questions. “If they don’t change it back to how it was, when is the restripping of the road going to happen?” said Hurtado-Vallejo. “Was this discussed at a city meeting? The city should fix potholes and roads that really need work on and leave what was working before alone.”
Miller said that the contractor Precision Grade and subcontractors Sierra Traffic Markings and Graham Contractors have until October to do the restriping, but the city is working with the contractor to have them fix it soon.
“It’s very frustrating for us,” said Miller.
Related BenitoLink stories:
Hollister won’t pay extra to fix Ladd Lane blunder
Hollister turns road used as ‘drag strip’ into kart racing course
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