I.V. Elementary School Parents Put Brakes on Intersection Change

Isla Vista Elementary School parents and administrators appear to have put the brakes on a major reconfiguration of the busy intersection of El Colegio and Storke roads that they say would endanger the lives of schoolkids and other pedestrians. The primary concern is UCSB’s plan to create a new right-hand turn lane that will feed westbound El Colegio motorists onto northbound Storke without providing crossing pedestrians any way to stop that flow of traffic. Last week, parents fired off emails to UCSB and Santa Barbara County Public Works Department, which must sign off on the plan. Replying to parents, Administrative Services Vice Chancellor Marc Fisher said UCSB “is equally concerned about the safety of those moving through this intersection, especially youngsters. We are working closely with County Public Works and the consulting engineers to [include] a light at the right turn.”