Mid-afternoon on Friday the 13th of March, a silver Tesla bounced over the sidewalk and struck a light stand and crosswalk alert button at the corner of Healdsburg Avenue and Plaza Street, according to police reports. The driver was seen getting out of his vehicle, surveying the damage and then getting back behind the wheel and continuing southbound on Healdsburg toward the Roundabout.
Although no one was hurt in the incident, the corner is one of the most heavily traveled in town, and pedestrians use the crosswalk to reach the West Plaza Park area from the Plaza. Without the pedestrian-activated crossing light to warn cars and the voice alert, the intersection becomes more dangerous and crossing on foot more risky.
Thanks to a tip to police, the driver and his damaged Tesla—with missing front-right panel and flat tires—was located behind Safeway shortly thereafter, and officers arrested 54-year-old Chad Colebank of Healdsburg on several charges. including driving under the influence and misdemeanor hit-and-run.
The impact on the pedestrian crossing however remains unrepaired to this day, over a month after the incident, as the tourist season picks up for the year and distracted foot traffic becomes more common.
“I use that crosswalk regularly on my way to Parkpoint gym, and it’s not easy crossing there without the flashing lights,” said a local resident, a lawyer. “It’s a set stage for some drunken high-income tourist to get injured and sue the City for oodles of money.”
Thankfully so far no such vehicle-pedestrian collision has occurred, though confusion among both drivers and pedestrians who were accustomed to the warning system is common. It’s a type known as a Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFB), the same system that’s installed at the intersection of Healdsburg Avenue and Mitchell Lane. The full systems include flashing yellow lights, pedestrian warning signage, and audible pedestrian push buttons. Two more such systems are planned for March Avenue, and another on Powell at Johnson.
Meanwhile Healdsburg continues to grapple with the headaches the incident caused. The city’s public information officer, Ray Holley, gave a rundown. “Public Works inspected the signal and immediately requested a repair estimate. That estimate came back at about $55,000,” he said.
But four weeks later, the city is still in negotiation with the driver’s insurance company to determine fiscal responsibility. “We feel that it’s a prudent approach to get this sorted before we commit taxpayer funds to the work,” Holley said.
While waiting for that determination, the city determined stationing a city employee as a crossing guard was not feasible, nor was leaving a flashing red light on all the time, given traffic patterns.
But not to worry, said Holley—“The crosswalk is still fully functional without the light system.”
Just look both ways.
