'ForAlice Movement' Gains Steam at City Council Meeting

students pleaded their case before City Council Tuesday night for safety changes to be made at the crosswalk in the 600 block of Duarte Road where a classmate was fatally injured.

A second student from Claremont High School, also 16, was seriously injured in the accident as well. The 20-year-old driver of the vehicle that struck the teens has not been charged as the Arcadia Police Department continues its investigation. While police investigate whether sun glare or the use of a cell phone may have played a factor in the accident,

Li-Xing Chang, a leader of the movement, spoke at City Council Tuesday night, telling Mayor Gary Kovacic and council members that the Duarte crosswalk does not meet Pedestrian Rights code requirements set by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which calls for safe passage for all pedestrians at all crosswalks and intersections.

Chang pointed out the dangers of vehicles speeding through the intersection at Duarte to make it through the yellow light and argued that the white lines of the crosswalk are faded, unlike other crosswalks in the area that are painted in a  bright yellow. The brighter color “makes sure that drivers know that there is a crosswalk there and makes them slow down,” Chang said. Chang also noted that many drivers, upon his observation, ignored the flashing yellow crosswalk lights displayed in the street and continued through the intersection without slowing.

Albert Hu, a junior at AHS, agreed with Chang’s statement about the lights being ignored, presenting the council with pictures showing that the displayed crosswalk lights cannot be seen during the day.

“In broad daylight you cannot tell the difference. Generally cars do not stop,” Hu said. “It took me four tries of pushing the button before traffic finally stopped.” Hu also noted that a security guard from a bank on that corner often sees pedestrians dodging traffic to cross at Duarte.

Utthara Rameshbabu, also an AHS junior, offered the council some possible solutions to the crosswalk dilemma, including moving the crosswalk farther east to Lovell Avenue or adding a signal at the crosswalk instead.

“Alice was a bright girl, and there was absolutely no reason for her to have gone that soon, and we want to prevent anything like that from ever happening again,” Rameshbabu said.

The mayor encouraged further discussions on the safety concerns and solutions at that intersection and offered to meet with movement leaders privately to talk more. Kovacic also raised the possibility of adding a memorial for Zhang near the spot where she was killed.

Speaking at the City Council meeting is only the latest in a string of grassroots efforts by the "ForAlice Movement.” The group also spoke at last week’s AUSD Board of Education meeting, and members of the movement have been going to area schools to tell students about the cause. More information on the ForAlice Movement is available on the group's Facebook page.

Correction: Patch incorrectly stated in an earlier version of this story that the "ForAlice Movement" proposed moving the Duarte crosswalk to La Belle Street. We regret the error.