Neighbors versus the county on Oak and F
Chronic accidents, metal and wood crunching, horns blaring, crying, screaming, shrapnel in the school crosswalk has become a common experience at Oak and F streets in Eureka. So, with full knowledge of stepping into the political world that I hated vehemently, I, Citizen Anybody, asked Supervisor Rex Bohn how we were going to fix our infamous Accident Corner.
The response was a meeting at Grant Elementary where Bohn shared his plan. A handful of us gathered on short notice and were told it would be 18 months and two more accidents before getting a safety light. With that, we all went home and waited for the body count to go up.
Then the coronavirus struck. Even though traffic had lessened, we surpassed the two more accidents that were required to meet Bohn’s numbers.
Soon thereafter, Public Works notified our neighbors that they would be red-curbing the entire block, eliminating access to their property and parking. I joined the next County Supervisors’ Meeting and was directed back the following day when the matter was scheduled for discussion, unbeknownst to the neighborhood. On this second day, Bohn stated that he was caught off guard by his agenda, and removed the action, but said that the public was going to have to call him with accident numbers before installing a light. Further, that he “[would be informing the neighbors what would be done]”.
A paternalistic agenda and being lied to was inexcusable to me, so I began a campaign.
It started with signs along the F Street Super Corridor asking “UNSAFE X-ING?” or “UNSAFE TRAFFIC?” with Bohn’s office number to call. A group of us paid to have stamped envelopes and pre-written form letters delivered to nearby households to increase the accident numbers on Bohn’s desk. The “No F Street Super Corridor in Eureka” Facebook Group was created and a petition was started that gained 242 signatures before it was served to county officials on Aug. 24.
By organizing, neighbors came together to develop amazing ideas about traffic calming and professional signs that would educate people passing by. We talked to the city about intersecting jurisdictions and learned that based upon a mere 1-hour surveilling, the posted speed wasn’t even appropriate for the road, so no citations could issue.
After raising the alarm publicly, I was anonymously informed that the 2017 General Plan was passed without consideration for future traffic mitigation, and further, how to obtain a copy of a Redwood Community Action Agency Report (2/2011). What we discovered was a safety light had been recommended a decade ago. Instead, within that timeframe, Bohn’s Baseball field had received their light at Fern & Walnut (6/2017) without having to meet the same requirements. Holly Street in Cutten only had to pay out $250.00 per household to slow their traffic (4/2018). The County had moved on to other grand projects, leaving Oak and F behind again. It was clear that there would always be “red tape” between us and a solution.
Following that, Bohn dropped by our house unannounced and changed what he had quoted before, tripling the cost of a light and talking about two to three years of waiting no matter what the body count. So, promptly neighbors went to the media to announce our efforts to date (North Coast News, 7/30/2020).
The Group collected as many statistics as what county and city officials “were willing to release”. One Group Member was a truck driver and he pulled up the Department of Transportation Guidelines for safety mitigation. A list of requirements to receive a safety light was defined in print, and we had already exceeded those requirements for some time. Further, that pending a safety light, four-way stop signs should be installed to prevent further accidents. What a jawdropping moment.
As the Group has evolved over time, there is still no action by officials, so the next obvious step was to publish an article to see if other neighbors experience the same treatment. We’re all so busy in our lives, who has the time to talk with their neighbors anymore, let alone attend county and city meetings to have oversight of what they do?! We have created a webpage at www.slowfstreet.com because we realize it’s going to take all of us to say engaged and participate in creating a civilized society where we can hold our officials responsible, and where our votes matter. Please remember that we live here when you drive through. We are your neighbors too. Please vote thoughtfully this Nov. 3.