A few weeks ago, we reported on a hit and run around 50th and Keystone. Nobody was hurt, but there were some very shaken adults and children. One of the contributing factors to the incident was the tall laurel hedge at the corner that made it difficult for a car to see the street he was turning on to.
Diane dropped us a note yesterday letting us know that the laurel hedge at the corner of 50th and Sunnyside / Keystone has been cut to improve visibility. Good news for pedestrians and cats!
Diane asked if the city was planning to change to the traffic light there, as well. Anyone know if there are any plans afoot there?
It also looks like they are adding a new pedestrian entrance to Meridian Park there at the same corner. This will only add more foot traffic.
technically, I think losing the hedges is *bad* news for cats. They were so thick they provided great hiding locations and surely some great hunting.
Tall, wide hedges are always a problem. There are several in the neighborhood that “push” pedestrians onto the parking strip or close to traffic, with the owners often throwing up their hands in not knowing what to do. The hedge in question is still there, just a little more transparent. Thanks to the homeowners for getting out the hedge clippers!!
Yeah, I deal with that intersection 5 days a week and I was always worried I’d clip a pedestrian coming out from behind that hedge to cross the street. It’d a relief to see it trimmed and now actually SEE the people waiting to cross the street! Not sure if the light itself is a problem; more just that people coming out Sunnyside need to watch for people more carefully, and the bush trim helps tremendously!
Hey harley–I hope you don’t mind me disagreeing with you, but I wish that cat owners would keep their pets inside. Cats that are allowed to roam free in neighborhoods tend to have much shorter, more difficult lives, and they are more likely to contract diseases like toxoplasmosis which can be spread to humans. House cats have also been strongly implicated in the steep decline in songbird populations in North America; as an invasive species, they are excellent predators of baby birds that are just learning to fly. Hope I’m not coming across in a negative way–cats deserve to have fun, but so do critters without sharp teeth and claws.