Council Watch

Feet, cars compete for safety in San Jose

Organization hopes to make city more pedestrian-friendly

By Jessica Lyons

If the squeaky wheel really does get the grease, a group of San Joseans hopes the same holds true for squeaky feet.

Expecting only a handful of attendees at their first meeting last week, Walk San Jose organizers found their vision of a more pedestrian-friendly San Jose shared by several foot-transportation activists. About 30 people attended the Jan. 4 meeting, including District 6 City Council candidate Ken Yeager and District 10 Council woman Pat Dando, who represents South San Jose's Blossom Hill/Santa Teresa/Almaden neighborhoods.

The 120-member group is lobbying for safer streets, including additional and lighted crosswalks and a budget for a full-time position at City Hall advocating pedestrian issues. The group does not want to penalize motorists. They do, however, want to make some small changes to San Jose's street designs and see pedestrian safety take a front-runner position in the city's transportation planning.

"Pedestrians have been ignored in San Jose for decades except in the downtown core and to a certain extent on Lincoln Avenue--they're afterthoughts," says Jill Escher, who started Walk San Jose three months ago. "Pedestrians have not been an important part of day-to-day transportation planning in San Jose, so our goal is simply to change the mindset in order to elevate the status of the pedestrian in San Jose and make walking in San Jose a less dangerous and less alienating experience."

According to Walk San Jose, vehicles are the number one killer of children in this city. In Santa Clara County, according to the county Health Department, among children ages 5 to 14, unintentional injuries--including motor vehicle injuries--are the leading cause of death.

"It's pretty well recognized that we need to address pedestrian issues in this area," co-founder Russell Westbrook says. "We feel that a city worth getting out of your car and walking around in is a city worth living in. It's better to live in a city designed for people--not a city designed for cars."

The group is also pushing for several "traffic calming" devices, including intersection corners, rather than rounded curbs that allow cars to turn corners faster; pedestrian islands on busy streets; speed humps and traffic circles to slow traffic in residential neighborhoods; zebra-striped and well-lit crosswalks; and more bike lanes.

In February, San Jose will embed flashing lights in a south San Jose intersection to make pedestrians more noticeable to oncoming drivers, says Department of Streets and Traffic senior civil engineer Larry Moore. After a period of several months, the city will compare "up-lighted" crosswalks to more traditional overhead-lighted crosswalks to determine if the new device is more effective and should be expanded citywide.

City officials say they are also working to make San Jose more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly though various programs, including the helmet give-away for kids, the 24-hour pothole patching hotline, bike maps and educational materials in the Yellow Pages, and the School Safety Program.

Russ Taft, the School Safety Program manager, says the city deploys a radar trailer to encourage motorists to drive more slowly around elementary schools. His office is also developing a permanent radar sign, to be mounted on street lights and flash cars' speeds while school is in session.

"We have a long way to go yet, but for a big city there's a lot we can do to help people and make it a more pedestrian-friendly place," Taft says.

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To get involved with Walk San Jose, contact www.walksanjose.org. To use the city's radar trailer at an elementary or middle school location, call Russ Taft, 408.277.2576. To request a new bicycle facility or install new bicycle racks at a business location, call JoAnn Collins, 408.277.5345.

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