The clock is ticking and students are constantly ready to go to class and ready to leave from class. Let’s not forget the residents by the college going to work and those going towards the Beale Air force base. What are the concerns with N.Beale Road? I went around asking for opinions not only from students but also from those who live by the college.
Angela Vargas, a resident near Yuba College, who also plans to be a student here, shares her concerns.
“In my opinion there should be a crosswalk and more lights,” she says. “There’s seriously only one light out front by the college. How are people going to be able to see a pedestrian? Plus the speed limit is 45 miles per hour when it should be 25 miles per hour, since it’s a school zone. That way we’re not running like chickens across the road. They should also improve the bike lane. People can fall into a ditch easily there.”
Vargas then shares something more interesting. “It’s not just college students who are walking to school; it’s also children. I remember when I was in elementary I had to walk from school to my house in a huge group and there was no safe sidewalk. There’s still no sidewalk, actually, and that bike lane is small. You never know when a car can make the mistake of easily skidding and as a pedestrian there would be no other option or having no where else to escape but a ditch.”
Diego Rangel, a student at Yuba College who plans to major in psychology, says, “I’m always scared that I’m not going to see a pedestrian crossing the street and hurt them on accident. The lines and arrows aren’t clear on the road either.” Rangel also tells his story of the arrows on the road and how misplaced they are, saying it almost made him crash into a ditch, especially because there were no lights to help him see.
Eric Tellez, a resident by the college who constantly takes N. Beale Road to go to work, says, “There should be more lights around the college because there’s always people walking around at night–including afternoon students–and it’s hard to see them.”
Ulises Vargas, another student at Yuba College, says, “I think it needs to be made a little safer. Certain areas that don’t have stop lights are dangerous for pedestrians. Many times drivers don’t slow down.”
Ivan Ferreyra, a Yuba College student studying to be a probation officer, shares what he wishes to see at N. Beale Road. “More crosswalks, more lights and more stop signs.”
Isaac Fitzgerald, a student who works at the Veterans Office at Yuba College, says, “The road needs to be fixed. It’s bumpy cracked and messed up. You know some people’s cars are old so one wrong move to a bump could lead to an accident.”
Another student, Amanda Edeliant, says, “A lot of people give me a hard time when they see me walking with my son there, but that’s the only way to get to school.”
There isn’t a lot of time for people to react when it comes to a car racing at full speed down the road, especially when the road lacks stoplights, pedestrian safety signs, and sidewalks. Although no one wants to think of the idea of someone getting hit, it is bound to happen, especially after witnessing the common concerns of students and residents here.
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