Community members call for action amid traffic concerns
By Luisa Loi
La Conner Community News
Standing at the corner of Morris and 6th streets from 7:40 to 8:05 a.m., paraeducator and PTSA President Corey Catubo greets each vehicle as it makes its way through the busy intersection, her enthusiasm somewhat infecting the long parade of tired and poofy faces rolling past her.
As a student approaches the crosswalk, she makes eye contact with the drivers, turning on her flashing stop sign before walking to the middle of the crossing to help the child safely get to the other side.
Some may assume that working as a crossing guard for only 25 minutes a day is an easy task, especially in little La Conner. But as Catubo would learn in the roughly four years she’s been serving in this role, things can quickly take a scary turn.
Despite the flashing 20 mph speed limit sign and the multiple stop octagons dotting Morris Street, Catubo witnesses close calls on a daily basis, with drivers seemingly oblivious to people, vehicles, her bright crossing guard vest and, in some cases, the sheriff.
At last week’s meeting, the La Conner Town Council heard Catubo’s plea to install flashing lights at the intersection to force drivers to slow down and stop for pedestrians.
“We may be a small town, but the danger is very real and I witness it every single day,” she wrote in her letter to the council.
A daily occurrence
In an interview, Catubo said she’s nearly been hit three times this year alone.
In one instance, she had to hit a car with her sign to grab the driver’s attention and prevent her foot from getting squashed. While no one was injured, the event left her more afraid for the safety of the children and adults who cross that intersection every day.
“This is something we need to take serious,” she said. “It just takes one time for something big to happen.”
Friday morning, drivers seemed more cautious than usual, she pointed out, wondering if the presence of reporters with a camera and notebook in hand played any role in that.
In the five minutes preceding this reporter’s arrival at the scene, Catubo had already witnessed two separate instances of cars entering the intersection at the same time. Later on, this same scenario nearly resulted in a collision.
“People forget how to use a four-way stop,” she said.
Catubo’s colleague, Anny Clark, also receives her daily dose of traffic scares during her afternoon shift, with drivers either hitting the brakes in the middle of the intersection and apologizing, or speeding past her as she has to physically stop students from crossing and getting hit.
Stompin Grounds Coffee, which sits on the northern corner of the intersection, offers staff and patrons front-row seats to the near-misses.
Owner Kim Broadhead, who’s witnessed countless traffic infractions in the 12 years she’s worked there, recounted seeing vehicles driving past her business at estimated speeds of 40 to 60 mph.
In one instance, she witnessed a driver flee the scene after hitting another car. In a separate situation, she had to report a speedy teen driver to the high school.
Some of her regular customers have even made it a habit to yell at distracted drivers while enjoying coffee on the patio, she said.
Broadhead said she worries it will take a serious injury or death for things to change for the better.
Evaluating solutions
Mayor Marna Hanneman and Public Works Director Brian Lease are not new to these concerns, which have been brought to the Town by numerous residents over the years. So far, the signs and speed limit detectors seem to only work temporarily — until drivers get desensitized.
Asking the school district and businesses to talk to students and employees about complying with the road signs has also brought little to no improvements, Hanneman said.
Lease said the intersection doesn’t require further additions as it features stop signs, stop bars and crosswalks in each direction, as well as curb extensions to make pedestrians more visible. The real issue is the drivers, many of whom are locals who should know better, he said.
“That intersection is already controlled,” he said, adding that the rectangular rapid flashing beacons suggested by Catubo are not meant for four-way intersections, but for mid-block crossings.
A four-way intersection would need traffic lights and a pedestrian crossing system, which he said can cost $800,000 at minimum.
When asked about speed bumps, he said they are not ideal for fire trucks and snow plows.
Hanneman questioned whether the community truly wants to see traffic lights in La Conner, which she said would completely change the town’s character.
But if that’s what the community and the Town Council want, Lease said he would be open to the idea. However, he warned, it won’t be a cheap or quick fix, as a traffic study alone can take a year or more and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
At the upcoming budget process, Lease will ask to allocate funds to hire a traffic engineer tasked with conducting a town-wide study as residents have also flagged other areas — such as the intersection of Maple Avenue and Morris Street — as unsafe.
In her letter to the council, Catubo also mentioned the crosswalk in front of Pioneer Market, suggesting the installation of a flashing pedestrian sign there as well.
In Lease’s opinion, the best way to ensure drivers behave would be increasing traffic enforcement. La Conner Community News couldn’t reach Sgt. Ben Hagglund — who oversees law enforcement in town — for comment, though on some days he can be seen helping out Catubo.
“There’s so many disrespectful drivers out there,” Lease said.
Just two weeks ago, he saw a car drive through three stop signs without stopping. “A lot of them are just in a different world — I don’t know what it is.”
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
