There is an average of three to four accidents a year on Mountain Street according to campus police records, said Nidal Kobaissi, a police specialist at GCC.?

Mountain Street has a grade that is very steep. The speed limit on is 25mph and many drivers exceed this speed because of its steepness. “Cars come down [Mountain Street] really fast that they are basically racing to get into the lanes,” said Kobaissi.

The dangerous effect that Mountain Street has on lot B is that drivers go outside the stop sign in order to see better. This blocks the lanes on the street that may ultimately cause an accident.?

Most accidents involve two cars, but a high percentage is only one car. Where the car is coming down way to fast and they hit a curb losing control of the vehicle usually hitting a pole according to Kobaissi.

“Most of them are not that serious, the only serious accident was about seven years ago that involved a fatality,” said Kobaissi.
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The biggest conflict with Mountain Street does not only involve the steepness of it but also the 2 Freeway exit that is located on north Mountain Street. “The CHP pulls over a lot of cars on the Mountain exit from the 2 Freeway so there is a lot of activity that may distract the driver,” said Kobaissi.?

The college plans to remodel parking lot B between 2005-2006, which will include a stoplight at the exit of the lot on Mountain Street to help avoid accidents said Kobaissi.?

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The new plans will widen Mountain Street that will create special turning lanes into the college parking lot that will make it much safer not only for the GCC students that occupy the lot, but also residents in the area that use Mountain Street daily.?

Many changes have already gone under way to help avoid these accidents for students that park in lot B. They have created an extra entrance at the bottom of the parking lot on Mountain Street, which is also a student unloading area. There is also an exit that the school had completed that exits towards Town Street next to the facilities yard on the west side of the college campus.?

The city has added yellow lights Mountain Street, which warn the drivers to slow down because cars may be coming out of the parking lot. “The city has also forbidden trucks to be allowed to exit the 2 Freeway on Mountain Street because of the traffic and the steep hill,” said Kobaissi. They are only allowed to exit when there are local deliveries to the college.?

“The parking lot B is a potential danger because there is a non-moving car trying to beat a car that is moving which can create an accident, but this can happen any where,” said Kobaissi. Kobaissi recommends GCC students drive with caution and follow the speed limit to avoid any kind of accident anywhere.