Vision Zero becomes a priority in Santa Clara! : But it did not happen overnight

This is a guest blog by SVBC member and Santa Clara Local Team Leader  Gabby Landaveri 

STEP 1: Identifying  an Issue and Taking Action

As many of you know, Vision Zero is an important policy that has the objective of achieving zero traffic deaths and severe injuries. Many cities in the Bay Area have already adopted this policy, and Fremont in particular has implemented infrastructure changes that have resulted in fewer deaths and collisions. Santa Clara, however, was a bit of an outlier. While it has many bicycle lanes, there are still many gaps in the bicycle network (think Monroe Avenue), and many roads still encourage unsafe driving behavior.

ACKNOWLEDGING THE PARTIAL WINS ALONG THE WAY

In objective 1.A of the 2018 Santa Clara Updated BPAC Master Plan it states: Study Implementing a Vision Zero Policy before 2024. Some of us in the Santa Clara community wondered: why wait another 3 years just to ‘study’? This prompted me in May to submit a written petition back to request the Council adopt this policy now. This was added to the city council agenda a couple of weeks later. If you have attended city council meetings, you know they tend to run very long. This particular night, it was coming upon midnight, and the council decided to defer my agenda item (along with one other) to the next session. This was very demoralizing and frustrating; this is an important issue, one that affects ALL residents and visitors, and it seemed it was not a priority.

A HALF-WIN!

The next council meeting also went past midnight, and when it seemed the Council would defer the item yet again, the council voted to discuss this in the August session when they were talking about priorities. A half-win!

THREE-QUARTERS WIN!

In the August meeting during public comment on this, I and a few other folks (shout-out to Diana and Ari) spoke up regarding Vision Zero, emphasizing that this is an important policy to make our roads safer for all road users. The result? The city council voted to have a study session in November. A three-quarters win!

STEP 2: Staying the COURSE

On Tuesday, November 16, the City Staff did a presentation on the Vision Zero Policy. A few members of the public spoke favorably on Vision Zero. The Mayor also commented that she was in support of anything that makes our streets safer, which was very encouraging.

The cost to start this process is $315,000, which may sound like a lot but compare this amount to what the city spends on infrastructure maintenance. And ultimately, what is the cost of a human life? I hope there is no answer to that.

100% WIN

The Council then voted to have a funding request submitted in January and to make this topic a priority at Santa Clara’s goal-setting session. I can now consider this a full 100% win!

This is very exciting as it demonstrates that the city is committed to making its streets safer. Being on the road as a cyclist, I see the deficiencies, coupled with poor motorist behavior, that continue to make our streets unsafe for anyone who happens to not be in a vehicle. Roads were designed to keep the flow of vehicles moving, which has resulted in a dangerous environment for pedestrians and cyclists. According to a survey done in 2020, 60% of survey takers indicated that they are “interested but concerned”: they would like to cycle but they feel the roads are unsafe for cyclists. I liken this to sidewalks: would you walk on a street without sidewalks where drivers are traveling 35-40 mph? No. The sidewalk is a physical structure that due to being raised from the road, it offers some protection from drivers on the street. Similarly, cyclists, along with those on scooters, skateboards, and segways, need avenues to keep them protected from drivers in vehicles traveling at certain speeds (I’d say 35 mph and higher).

STEP 3: RALLY THE TROOPS -” If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb

While obviously this is a bicycle coalition and many of us ride bicycles as our primary mode of transportation, Vision Zero is not just about adding more bike lanes; this is about safety for all road users, regardless of how they choose to travel. It’s about providing safe options for people to get from one place to another and leveraging education, engineering, and enforcement to achieve that. Even if there is a painted bike lane, or even if there is a sidewalk, if road design enables vehicle drivers to travel at high speeds or whip around corners without paying attention to whether there are people in the crosswalk, it feels unsafe for those not in a vehicle. I hear many people say that they don’t feel safe walking even a short distance to the store, so they use their cars instead. Many parents don’t feel safe letting their kids walk or bike to school, so they chauffeur them in their cars. I’d bet that most if not all residents do NOT want increased vehicular traffic and would agree that it is a problem that needs to be solved. However, the solution is not adding more vehicle travel lanes or adding more turn lanes; the key is to reduce the number of overall cars on the road, and that can be achieved by having various safe transportation options.

Of course, this work is not done alone. While I may be the team lead tor Santa Clara, I am only one person. The more people we have speaking up and advocating for safer streets, the more the city leaders will listen to us and the more likely change will happen. Thank you to those who submitted comments and spoke up at the council meetings, and thank you to the SVBC staff for their support. Let’s hope Santa Clara becomes a truly safe place for all road users!