New report names ‘Friant and Shepherd’ as Fresno’s most dangerous intersection

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Fresno County deemed the intersection of Friant Road and Shepherd Avenue the most dangerous in the city of Fresno.

Fresno County has deemed the intersection of Friant Road and Shepherd Avenue the most dangerous in the city of Fresno (FOX26).

A report by the Fresno County Civil Grand Jury found that more than 80% of incidents at the intersection were caused by drivers running red lights.

A report, by the Fresno County Civil Grand Jury, found that more than 80% of incidents at the intersection were caused by drivers running red lights.

Click here to view the PDF file“All my friends that cycle, they don’t cycle there,” Jason Hammack, a Fresno neighbor, said. “It’s just scary.”

Major crash at Woodward Park after car flies through intersection (VIDEO COURTESTY OF FRIANT ROULETTE).

The report, that studied traffic in the area for almost a year, recommends 11 changes aimed at improving safety.

The recommendations include additional signage, increased police presence and more flashing lights to warn drivers of what’s ahead.

“They need to do something about it. It’s clearly a problem,” James Haring, a neighbor that has lived in Fresno for 79 years, said.

$2.5 million project targets Friant and Shepherd intersection with signal, lane changes (PHOTO COURTESTY OF FRIANT ROULETTE).

City leaders must respond to the grand jury report within 90 days.

“We appreciate the community volunteers participating on the Civil Grand Jury, and the time they took to study complex traffic engineering concerns. Pedestrian and traffic safety remains a priority for the City of Fresno. We look forward to working with the City Council to evaluate and respond to each finding and recommendation within the required 90-day timeline,” Fresno City Manager Georgeanne White said in a statement.

Community members said they hope the report leads to meaningful changes at the intersection.

“I think the car that flew over in the Woodward Park, that was a pretty big indicator. Like, how many times has that happened?,” Hammack said. “How much more do you need?”

[RELATED] Woman killed after car flies through intersection near Woodward Park identified

The report also noted that between February and March of this year, two collisions occurred at the intersection within three days of each other.

Shortly after, Fresno city officials announced a $2.5 million project to make changes to the intersection.

County leaders said they considered the changes offered by the city but still believe more should be done at Friant and Shepherd to reduce the number of collisions.