SVBC News
Vision Zero San Jose hits the streets
Since last year, I have been working with a team from the City of San Jose as it begins implementing the city’s Vision Zero initiative. As some of our readers will recall, San Jose declared last May that it would begin the fight to reduce its roadway fatalities and major injuries to zero.The work to achieve this goal has been an enlightening experience. We have taken a close look at fatality and injury collisions along San Jose’s 14 Safety Priority Streets – the 3% of the roadway network that accounts for 50% of the city’s fatal crashes. Our recommendations thus far have consisted of the mundane – refreshing faded paint and upgrading signals to modern-day standards – to the progressive – constructing a two-way cycletrack between neighborhood parks.
Support studying Vision Zero in Sunnyvale
Thanks to bike advocate and Sunnyvale BPAC member Kevin Jackson for sharing this call to action with the SVBC community. SVBC submitted a letter (PDF) to the Sunnyvale City Council about the proposed Vision Zero study issue last week.
You probably know about the Vision Zero program, but if not you can read about it here. An obvious question is: Why would anyone be against this? Beats me, but in Sunnyvale a proposal to study developing a Vision Zero plan needs council's vote of approval in a workshop this Friday. Some in the city don't see the value in a Vision Zero program, so I'm asking for your help to make it happen.
Page Mill/280 Interim Improvement Process
In the six weeks since cyclist Jeff Donnelly was fatally struck by a vehicle on Page Mill Road near Highway 280, staffers at all the involved agencies have been working to improve, fund, and construct an interim design solution that will boost safety in the short term. SVBC has proposed a forum intended to gather public input and come to consensus on a design. The County Roads and Airports Department would prefer to first meet with technical staff from Palo Alto, Los Altos Hills, Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Caltrans, then bring a more fleshed-out design to local cyclists for input. In any case, finding the money necessary for detailed design and construction is first on the to-do list.
Update on Page Mill/280
As many of you know, last week a bicyclist was killed on Page Mill Road near the interchange with Highway 280. This was especially tragic given that SVBC has been working with the various stakeholders (Caltrans, County of Santa Clara, City of Palo Alto, and Town of Los Altos Hills) over several years to make this interchange safer.In 2014, our Roadway Safety Solutions Team visited the site with engineers and staff from the respective jurisdictions to analyze the site and offer solutions. As Colin mentioned in our previous blog post, there is currently a phased plan on the table. The first stage or “interim” plan requires approval by Caltrans and includes more visible delineation and green paint, similar to nearby Alpine Road at Highway 280. We are currently in conversation with Caltrans and the County of Santa Clara to figure out where the funding for this plan comes from and how to move it forward as quickly as possible.
Fatality at Page Mill Interchange
Yesterday, we learned that a bicyclist was struck by a driver and killed on Page Mill Road, in Palo Alto near the Highway 280 overpass. Our hearts go out to the friends and family of the victim of this tragic collision.
Unfortunately, this is an intersection that Silicon Valley bicyclists know all too well. For over a decade, advocates, including SVBC and the Roadway Safety Solutions Team, have been working to get the area improved for the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians.