Sign for Drivers Seeks to Curb Carnage of Aliens on Freeways

A new flashing sign posted along the grid of freeways just north of the U. S.-Mexico border is the first step in what state authorities say is a multi-pronged effort to reduce the growing traffic hazard to illegal-alien pedestrians.

Since 1985, at least 67 undocumented pedestrians have been struck and killed by vehicles on the highways of southern San Diego County, the entry point for hundreds of thousands of clandestine border crossers each year--who enter the United States mostly on foot and mostly at night.

The carnage on the roadways has attracted growing public attention and increased the pressure on authorities to take action.

‘Watch for People Crossing’

Last weekend, the California Department of Transportation, which maintains state and interstate roads, began posting a sign on the grid of freeways just north of the border, warning motorists, “Watch for People Crossing Road.” The sign, mounted on a trailer, will be activated every evening from dusk to dawn, said Steve Seville, a Caltrans spokesman in San Diego, who added that several other remedies were also being implemented.

The most recent pedestrian victim was Alvina Jarra Ruiz, 47, of Tijuana, who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run vehicle Sunday evening as she attempted to cross the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 just north of the border.

For Jarra and others, the vast grid of highways that converges at the border forms a formidable barrier. Each evening, single border crossers as well as groups dash across the freeways, often misjudging the speed of oncoming traffic. The California Highway Patrol counted a record 28 undocumented victims killed in 1988 alone, most of them struck in the first few miles of U. S. territory. Many others are killed on smaller roads. Many are also injured and survive.

One recent case resulted in the temporary abandonment of a 10-month-old girl whose mother was rushed to a hospital after she was hit by a car and had both legs broken. Mother and daughter were reunited two days later.

Federal, state and local authorities have been discussing a number of remedies, including the possibility of lowering the speed limit for some stretches of freeway. Complete elimination of the problem is unlikely while the vast undocumented traffic continues, everyone agrees, but authorities hope they can lessen the hazard.

Permanent Signs, Flyers

In coming months, said Seville, the Caltrans spokesman, efforts will include:

- A permanent warning sign or series of signs on border freeways alerting motorists to the likely presence of pedestrians.

- Distribution of flyers to motorists entering the United States after dark, warning them that pedestrians may be crossing the freeways illegally.

- A $250,000 project to improve lighting along a half-mile stretch of Interstate 805 just north of the border.

- A continuing cleanup, beginning this week, that includes a pruning of the thick roadside shrubbery near the border, where many aliens take refuge. Repair may also be in the works for the battered chain-link fences that are designed to restrict pedestrian access to the roads.

- A plan to reach out to the Mexican media, particularly radio stations, to publicize the dangers of crossing U. S. superhighways. A public service message for U. S. television is also in the works.

Caltrans officials say they have long been concerned about the hazard, but some critics say agency action is overdue.

“I think they’re sensitive to the issue, but they haven’t acted quickly enough,” said Claudia Smith, regional counsel in Oceanside with California Rural Legal Aid, a migrant advocacy group.