04 Apr Completed Project Helps Pave ‘Safe Routes to School’ in Pittsburg

Parts of the Pittsburg City Council meeting on Tuesday addressed safety on city streets and fields. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Pittsburg on Tuesday announced the completion of new pedestrian safety measures at several “uncontrolled crosswalks” near schools as part of the Safe Routes to School grant.

In a project that concluded last month, 10 rectangular rapid flashing beacons and other signage were installed on five streets — School Street, Seeno Avenue, Riverview Street, West Fourth Street and Buchanan Road.

“I just want to thank staff and the team for prioritizing these locations, prioritizing these safety features,” said Mayor Juan Antonio Banales. “This is a big improvement to a number of locations around the city.”

The locations are all within 900 feet of at least one of four schools — Pittsburg High, St. Peter Martyr School, Heights Elementary or Highlands Elementary. Specific intersections were chosen by staff after considering input from the public in workshops, walking audits by Contra Costa Health Services and goals in the 2020 Pittsburg Moves Active Transportation Plan, which asks the city to promote safe walking and biking.

The completion of the project comes a year after a Pittsburg high schooler, Brooke Jeffrey, was killed in a hit-and-run while crossing the street in front of her school at night, prompting residents to push for safety improvements at the intersection. Similar RRFBs and other signage newly installed at the five locations had been installed at the location of the hit-and-run but other lights never worked, according to residents in the area.

When the council allocated additional funding for the project at last year’s Nov. 6 meeting, City Manager Garrett Evans said additional intersections that could be in need of the RRFBs had been identified. The hope going forward, Evans told the council then, was to receive annual funding to gradually increase safety around schools.

A majority of the funding for the project came from a grant awarded by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Transportation Development Act Article 3, or TDA 3, which provides annual funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects.

The Pittsburg City Council first approved the project in January 2023 and approved plans for construction in November.

Volunteers ask for help with field conditions

During public comment, several volunteers from the Pittsburg Baseball Softball Association expressed disappointment with the cost and handling of fields in the city.

“The primary concerns I bring today are the conditions of the fields, which the league pays to use,” said Brendan Moseley, a volunteer for the PBSA, “and the safety of the players and families not only in our city but of the cities we host in the park for our tournaments.”

Moseley said practice often starts with “homeless outreach and negotiation” because unhoused people live in the dugouts and remove players’ belongings from lockers. Players are followed to the bathroom, according to Moseley, and deal with glass, cigarette butts and human and dog poop on the fields.

He was speaking specifically about City Park, which is located across the street from the council’s chambers. After being a “haven for drugs and prostitution,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle, between the ’70s and early ’90s, the park was transformed by the city into a place that was welcoming to families. But Moseley told the council that players are now too scared to use the bathroom.

And the problem isn’t just the safety of the fields but the cost as well.

For years, according to coaches, using a field was free. But things changed; one softball coach said they were charged $4,000 to use a field for just one month.

“We’re still paying from last year’s dues, and we’re just now catching up,” said Lillie Pinero. “It’s like we don’t have any time to breathe.”

By the end of the season, the PBSA will likely be charged around $20,000 for field use, according to Pinero.

“I encourage the city to join (the PBSA family) and help us provide our players and families the best Pittsburg has to offer,” said Moseley.