San Jose Plans Two Years of Vision Zero Action

To cross or not to cross? Unclear directions and high speeds make this a concerning crosswalk in South San Jose.Kudos to the City of San Jose this week for approving the draft Vision Zero Two-Year Action Plan. The plan, approved by the city council’s Transportation & Environment Committee on Monday, lays out actionable steps the City will take over the next two years as it seeks to reach the goal of eliminating roadway fatalities and major injuries.SVBC was proud to contribute to the Action Plan, along with our partners at California Walks. One of the steps that we’re particularly excited to see in the plan is exploring the creation of a stakeholder group that can help spread the message of Vision Zero through San Jose’s diverse communities, while also bringing a vital local perspective to the Vision Zero process.In SVBC’s comments to the Transportation & Environment Committee, we praised the work completed thus far by Department of Transportation staff, which includes detailed analysis of fatal and major crashes in San Jose, on-the-ground safety assessments of the first 14 identified Priority Safety Corridors, several successful grant applications for safety improvements, and an updated Vision Zero page on the City’s website.We urged council and staff to place greater emphasis on equity in the plan. Specifically, we suggested adding acknowledgement of and steps to counter both the historical under-investment in low income communities and communities of color as well as the highly publicized tensions that exist between these communities and police departments across the country. For example, the plan should mention and include recommendations from the recent University of Texas study, conducted in partnership with San Jose Police Department, which examined bias in stops and citations by department officers.Thanks to San Jose for again setting an example for our region to follow. Vision Zero is not a quickly achieved goal, and these mileposts are important accomplishments as we work to make our roadways truly safe for all.