Safety improvements to dangerous Northeast Fresno intersections

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- New signs can now be found along Friant Road, Shepherd Avenue and Audubon Drive.

"We have reflective back plates on the lights; we've done no turn on red all along Friant," said Fresno City Council member Garry Bredefeld.

There are also high-visibility crosswalks along the road.

Bredefeld says traffic safety experts suggested these improvements.

However, he adds that while the city can make these changes to help encourage good behavior, it's ultimately up to drivers to be safe when they get behind the wheel.

"A lot of people are driving and texting or on their phones - that obviously makes it an unsafe condition, so I would encourage people to be more careful - I would encourage people to hesitate before the light turns green and make sure that no one is coming through or blowing through a light," said Bredefeld.

And that's exactly what happened in a wreck Wednesday afternoon at Friant and Shepherd.

It was captured on camera by Dan Wells and his son, who created the Friant Roulette YouTube page.

But they say they've noticed a difference.

"There was usually an accident maybe twice a month - it was going that many times and it's been reduced considerably now," said Fresno resident, Dan Wells.

Wells says he thinks the city could still make more adjustments to the arrows at Friant and Shepherd.

"If we can just change that green arrow to a yellow, then the traffic will not see green; they'll see the red lights and the yellow, and I'm hoping that will add to some caution," said Wells.

Bredefeld says the city still plans to add a parking lot near Friant and Fort Washington for people who use trails in the area and extend the right turn lane near Audubon to help prevent more close calls.

"We want everybody to be safe and get home safely," said Bredefeld.

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