So if efforts to improve safety along Friant Road<\/a>, in particular at Shepherd, work out as planned, then perhaps Wells\u2019 YouTube channel will have nothing worth watching.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know,\u201d Wells said, \u201cthat would be a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Four months since the first wave of safety upgrades were made at the infamous Friant Roulette intersection, collisions have reduced significantly, both Richardson and Wells said.<\/p>\n Just one crash of note since April, to be exact.<\/p>\n Wells estimated that before the improvements that a major collision typically unfolded at the intersection at least once a month.<\/p>\n \u201cAnytime we can go months without a major accident, that\u2019s a great sign,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to jinx anything. But I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s enough wood to knock on (for continued luck and fortune).<\/p>\n \u201cBottom line, it feels so much safer.\u201d<\/p>\n Extra light makes difference<\/p>\n What all has happened to make traveling through the intersection of Friant and Shepherd safer?<\/p>\n Much of the success in safety is attributed to adding one more traffic light for traffic flowing north on Friant Road.<\/p>\n Now, each lane going north has a traffic light lined above, making it a bit easier for drivers to identify which light to look at and follow.<\/p>\n Previously, there were five lanes flowing north on Friant while approaching Shepherd, including a left-turn-only lane and a right-turn-only lane.<\/p>\n But of the three lanes continuing onto Friant, there were only two traffic lights. The right lane that continued north did not have a traffic signal directly in line with the lane.<\/p>\n And it was that right lane going north on Friant where many of the crashes occurred.<\/p>\n Drivers would sometimes run the red light and crash into traffic that was making a left turn from Shepherd while trying to go onto southbound Friant.<\/p>\n That was the case two years ago when a UPS truck that was making a left turn from Shepherd collided with an SUV that ran a red light from the inner right lane.<\/p>\n That all said, during the one notable collision in the past three months at Friant and Shepherd, it was a red-light runner from the left lane going north that caused a collision with a car trying to make a left turn from southbound Friant onto Shepherd.<\/p>\n \u201cSome drivers are still running a red light, but it\u2019s happening less often,\u201d said Wells, whose YouTube channel provides a live-look at the intersection throughout each day while recording the traffic from his back yard. \u201cWe\u2019ve been recording the intersection still. But there really hasn\u2019t been anything worth posting.<\/p>\n \u201cI know the added traffic light helps. As someone who drives through the intersection myself, I know that\u2019s helped. And I\u2019ve had people also tell me they don\u2019t take that route anymore for safety precautions. There\u2019s also people who\u2019ve told me that they\u2019re just more aware of the issues with that intersection so they\u2019re more cautious. I\u2019d like to think our YouTube channel has helped.\u201d<\/p>\n Move improvements in store?<\/p>\n The City of Fresno is still working on southbound Friant and reducing the ability to turn left at the intersection and onto Shepherd from two lanes to one lane.<\/p>\n But because of the early signs of improved safety, Richardson said other money from the $2.5 million that the city of Fresno received to make traffic improvements might be used to address other nearby roads rather than add more safety measures at Friant and Shepherd.<\/p>\n \u201cAre there things we can do to step it up even more?\u201d Richardson asked rhetorically. \u201cSure. But if you\u2019ve achieved your goal making things safer through step one, do you need to take step two?<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we can use those funds for other problematic issues in our area.\u201d<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Wells said he\u2019ll continue to record and livestream traffic at Friant and Shepherd.<\/p>\n He said he\u2019s already noticing some issues with traffic going southbound on Friant now, with vehicles sometimes on the verge of sideswiping each other.<\/p>\n Wells said he\u2019s not sure if that was ever an issue before, because he was usually monitoring the traffic going northbound.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a concerned resident, I\u2019m happy to see the changes made and the number of crashes go down,\u201d Wells said. \u201cNow, we if could just get more people to stop running red lights and get drivers to just pay more attention.\u201d<\/p>\n ![\"Road](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/FRS_EPZ_FRIANT_RD_01.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_FRIANT_RD_01.JPG\\"")
Road improvements along Friant Road include the addition of an extra traffic light, seen at the intersection of Shepherd Avenue on Friday, July 10, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n The photo above was from 2024, showing northbound Friant Road approaching the intersection with Shepherd Avenue. Previously, there were six stop lights facing northbound traffic. But the right lane that allows traffic to go straight did not have a stop light directly above or in front, which might be causing some confusion and a reason for accidents. Google maps screen shot (above)\/Eric Zamora (below photo) The Fresno Bee <\/p>\n
![\"Traffic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/FRS_EPZ_FRIANT_RD_02.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_FRIANT_RD_02.JPG\\"")
Traffic diversions and a closed lane, seen along Friant Road at Shepherd Avenue Friday, July 10, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n![\"Traffic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/FRS_EPZ_FRIANT_RD_03.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_FRIANT_RD_03.JPG\\"")
Traffic warning seen along Friant Road at Shepherd Avenue Friday, July 10, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com ![\"Road](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/FRS_EPZ_FRIANT_RD_04.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_FRIANT_RD_04.JPG\\"")
Road improvements along Friant Road include an additional traffic light at Shepherd Avenue Friday, July 10, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
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