We at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victim.

On May 5, 2022, at 9:25 a.m. a 72-year-old male resident of San Jose died from injuries sustained after being struck by a person driving a vehicle while riding an electric bicycle on a roadway. His death marks the city of Santa Clara’s first fatality as a result of traffic collision involving a vehicle and a bicyclist in 2022.

Officers responded to the 1500 block of Laurelwood Road near Thomas Road in the city of Santa Clara on a report of a traffic collision involving a vehicle and a bicyclist. In the Santa Clara Bicycle Plan Update 2018, this portion of Laurelwood is identified as a High-Priority Recommended bikeway and is proposed to have Class II Bike Lanes.

Santa Clara Bicycle Plan Update 2018 All Recommendations & Existing Bikeways — Map/image from Santa Clara Bicycle Plan Update 2018

The investigation revealed that the bicyclist was traveling eastbound on Laurelwood Road against on-coming traffic. Prior to the collision, the bicyclist fell from his bicycle, and he landed directly in front of the Prius and was run over. It is unclear why he fell from his bike.

In March of 2022, George "Andre" Oseida, a 13-year-old Graham Middle School student, fell off his bike while riding to school and was killed by a truck. It is unclear why either the 72-year-old male resident of San Jose or 13-year-old George "Andre" Oseida of Mountain View fell off of their bicycles but what is clear is that these two cyclists represent our most vulnerable community members.

The bicycling experience is not the same for all people—it varies by a person’s age, ability, and even race. This is why it is important that road design and infrastructure understand and address this variation in experience and ensure that the youngest and oldest members of our community have infrastructure(such as protected bike lanes) in place to aid in avoiding potential collisions with motor vehicles. Why protected bike lanes? Because people fall off bikes. Yes, it happens, and our streets should be designed in a way that falling off your bike means at worst a little embarrassment and a scratch on the knee but not a death sentence.

Class IV protected/separated bikeways are on-street bicycle facilities that are physically separated from motor vehicle traffic by a vertical element or barrier, such as a curb, bollards, or vehicle parking aisle. They can allow for one- or two-way travel on one or both sides of the roadway. No Class IV protected/separated bikeways exist in the city of Santa Clara.

On November 16, 2021 as a result of the advocacy of the SVBC Santa Clara Local Team Leader,the City Staff of Santa Clara did a presentation on the Vision Zero Policy. Vision Zero is a worldwide movement that states that NO fatality on our roadways is acceptable and prioritizes safety over speed and convenience. This policy is especially important for the most vulnerable users of our roads – bicyclists and pedestrians – but uses engineering, education, enforcement, and data-driven policymaking to improve safety for all users of the road.

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. This was a huge win but the infrastructure changes needed to make Santa Clara’s streets safe for ages 8 to 80 have not taken place yet.

Below are some recommendations provided by Santa Clara County’s Older Adult Transportation and Traffic Safety Report 2018 to improve bicycle safety for seniors. We hope that these recommendations will be considered when the Santa Clara Council meets again to address it’s Vision Zero goals.

Recommendations:

Develop a city-specific bicycle plan to establish a framework and goals for improvements that will enhance the bicycling environment.
Offer alternative bicycle programs with a variety of easily accessible bike styles to accommodate riders with different abilities.
Provide bicycling education and riding opportunities for older adults.
Increase the availability of protected bikeways and their connections to destination areas.
Post high-visibility wayfaring signs displaying times/distances to important destinations.
Provide adequate, secure bike parking at locations where people shop, work and enjoy leisure time.

If anyone witnessed this incident, please contact Traffic Investigator Scott Wilson at (408) 615- 4764.