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| The City of Richmond is increasingly challenged with maintaining its traffic signals. Recently, a resident emailed me with a list of malfunctioning traffic signals:
- Hilltop @ Blume
Eastbound left turn signal goes green without cars triggering the signal, delaying West bound traffic.
- Hilltop @ Shane
If it's working, the light has super long green phase for cross traffic, leading to long backups
- Hilltop @ Hillview
Light seems to have set back to standard cycle, with long green phase for cross traffic with no cars coming.
- Hilltop @ Research Dr
This light has been on standard cycle with long green phases for cross traffic (not triggered) for at least 2 years. Total waste of time.
- Richmond Pkw @ Bella Vista Apartments
Very long green phase both for cars coming out of the apartment complex (even is green when not triggered) and long left turn westbound signal.
- Richmond Pkw @ Lakeside
Very long green for cross traffic, westbound traffic backs up to I80 in the morning
- Richmond Pkw @ Goodrick
Very long green for cross traffic, even untriggered.
- Richmond Pkw @ Parr
Cross traffic triggers immediate red on parkway, even if it had just turned green. Traffic backs up past Goodrick
- Richmond Pkw @ Pittsburg
Disaster. Extremely long green for cross traffic, even when untriggered/ Traffic backs up past Parr.
Why this such a problem? There are a couple of reasons:
- The Public Works Department is short several dozen employees. These positions are fully funded, but the failed and recently terminated city manager did not make it a priority to recruit and hire for these positions.
- The Public Works Department lacks funding to purchase parts and equipment to make repairs. Instead if taking care of infrastructure, the RPA-controlled City Council is wasting money conducting frivolous investigations, litigating Point Molate and Campus Bay and hiring lawyers to sue the mayor
Back in May and June of 2021, Public Works Electrical Supervisor Cornell Hughes wrote regarding Hilltop & Shane, 5/26/21 & 6/2/21:
There were 2 incidents at that location – 1 week apart. The first took out the oldest traffic signal in the center median, the 4 head on the western side on the median. It hadn’t been hit – ever in the 24 years I’ve been here. The one on the other side gets hit every couple of years. Then, 1 week later, a truck turning into the mall, turned the corner short and ran over the traffic cabinet and the power pedestal. We only know that because of the tire marks on the cabinet. The main electrical feed wires to the power pedestal were sheared off at the ground. So, we switched gears from building the replacement traffic head to restoring power to get the intersection into FLASH. Then we finished building the traffic head and installed it. Then we made permanent repairs and replaced the power pedestal. The last thing will be to replace the traffic cabinet.
I don’t have any more traffic cabinets on hand and they are a minimum of 20 weeks out. I have already received authorization to order one, there are still at least 16 or 17 weeks to go. When we receive it, installing it will be our first priority.
Figure 1 - Facebook posting about traffic signal at Shane and Hilltop
Figure 2 - Traffic signal control cabinet destroyed by vehicle collision
On September 7, 2021, Cornell Hughes wrote:
Update. The new controller arrived. We started testing it and it immediately blew a fuse. We were not able to find the cause and are sending it back to the supplier for repair. The cabinet wasn’t ordered earlier because there wasn’t any more money in the budget
On December 3, Cornell Hughes wrote, regarding the list of malfunctioning signals:
Thank you for the info. As I’ve mentioned before, I depend on the eyes of the public to try to stay on top of the various issues with the traffic and streetlights.
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The number of power outages we’ve been having lately have played havoc with the memory for the traffic controllers. I’ll have them all checked.
Cornell Hughes
Electrical Supervisor
City of Richmond
Public Works Department
Electrical Division
#6 13th Street
Richmond, Ca. 94801
510 231 3033 (office)
510 231 3039 (fax)
M-F 6:00am - 2:30 pst
At the end of the day, how Richmond allocates its resources is a budget decision by the RPA-controlled City Council, which is so obsessed with distractions like Point Molate and punishing the mayor, they have lost all interest in maintaining infrastructure that is critical to the safety of residents and businesses in Richmond.
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