Why do drivers keep crashing into a south Everett fence?

If you have lived in an area long enough, you will learn a few specifics.

Which brake lights take a particularly long time to change. When traffic usually jams in certain places. And where crashes happen again and again.

Shaun Hulbert, a resident of Everett, has noticed a recurring accident scene on Fourth Avenue West where the street comes to an intersection with Corbin Drive. North of Corbin Drive, the street becomes Fifth Avenue West.

“Can you please ask Everett City and the police what they are doing on Everett (Fourth Avenue West) from the fire station near Evergreen Way to the bend where people keep going through the fence?” Hulbert wrote to The Daily Herald.

He found that the fence was being replaced with another section that someone was driving through and damaging the landscaping.

“So I just stopped by there one more time and it looks like the car went through the same area they replaced with chain link fence and planted some trees, a few of which are now destroyed,” he said. “The speed limit is 25 mph so I wonder how fast are you going?”

You should have driven about 25 mph which is the stated limit. Heading south on the road, the recommended speed is 20 miles per hour.

This curve is a well-known problem for the city, which owns and uses the small property as a rainwater retention basin. There have been nine reports of accidents near Fourth Avenue West and Fifth Avenue West, south of Corbin Drive, in the city in the past five years, Everett Public Works spokeswoman Kathleen Baxter said in an email.

Of these nine accidents, five occurred in the dark and four allegedly involved disabled drivers.

In recent years, the city has stepped up police force and changed some warning signs across the road curve to warn drivers. Everett Police Department traffic officials have spent over 36 hours in the area since January 2020. During that time, they contacted 185 drivers about violations, Baxter said.

“We are constantly striving to improve the safety of our roads,” said Baxter. “… Over the past five years, municipal utility workers have increased the size and reflectivity of the cornering warning signs, adding 3-foot reflective panels to the fence, and reflective markings in the center of the lane to help drivers identify the corner.”

If someone breaks the fence or any other part of the property, the city is responsible for repairs, which have cost about $ 20,000 over the past five years. Sometimes the city will seek compensation from the person if the driver can be identified, Baxter said.

Obviously, signs are limited in their ability to prevent 3,500 pound sedans from crashing into the fence – driving too fast or turning too late.

But maybe with enough time and enforcement, people can learn to slow down for this curve.

Have a question? Call 425-339-3037 or email [email protected]. Please enter your first and last name as well as your place of residence.

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A semi-trailer truck drives along Fourth Street near Corbin Drive in Everett on Friday past a damaged fence surrounding a stormwater retention basin.  (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A semi-trailer truck drives along Fourth Street near Corbin Drive in Everett on Friday past a damaged fence surrounding a stormwater retention basin. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)