October 20, 2026
City Council
DATE: October 20, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Councilmember Claudia Jimenez
Vice Mayor Doria Robinson
Councilmember Sue Wilson
Subject: Evaluate and advance immediate and long-term safety measures for areas with high incidence of fatal and
severe-injury traffic accidents
FINANCIAL IMPACT: No Fiscal Impact for the report; future council decisions regarding traffic safety will have a budget impact yet to be determined.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
April 30, 1996: Resolution 62-96 established policy that establishes the multi-step resident petition and speed
hump application criteria used by the City.
July 19, 2022: Adopted Resolution No. 105-22 approving
the local roadway safety plan
November 22, 2022: Received Presentation and
Provided Direction on Traffic Safety Implementation
Strategy Based Upon a Number of Stakeholder Requests
June 4, 2024: Created Traffic Calming Division within the Department of Public Works
June 21, 2026: Implemented McBryde Avenue Safe
Routes to Park Project
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Traffic safety continues to be a concern for residents, pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers traveling through
Richmond. The City has previously identified and
implemented many safety improvements, and more are
in the planning stages. However, two recent pedestrian
fatalities along 23rd Street raise questions about whether the City has invested enough money in traffic safety
solutions, and whether we are taking the right approach.
AGENDA
REPORT
October 20, 2026
This item directs the City Manager to work with City staff to summarize the current state of Richmond’s traffic
safety programs and propose ways to improve it.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: DIRECT the city manager to 1) conduct an analysis and propose an immediate and a long-term plan to improve
traffic safety (including bike and pedestrian safety) in Richmond which includes 1) specific locations to be
addressed 2) criteria used to choose those locations 3) proposed measures at each location, 4) implementation
timelines 5) estimated costs, and 6) potential funding
sources in addition to the General Fund. Return to the
City Council in November, 2026, with an initial
presentation on the above points - Councilmember
Claudia Jimenez/Vice Mayor Robinson/Councilmember
Sue Wilson (510-620-6861).
DISCUSSION:
In November 2022, the City Council approved the citywide Traffic Calming Program and its initial traffic calming project, which included 18 locations. To build the capacity needed to advance this effort, the Council subsequently approved the creation of a dedicated Traffic Calming Division within the Public Works Department (PW), staffed by two planners and a traffic engineer.
The division’s primary goal is to support the implementation of the Traffic Calming Programs and improve street safety throughout the City. For the programs which include Bike and Pedestrian, Neighborhood Traffic Calming and Traffic Safety to succeed and deliver measurable results that residents can see and experience. The City Council must commit to providing annual funding for traffic calming improvements.
Numerous intersections and streets across the City require traffic safety interventions, ranging from relatively quick, low-cost solutions to more complex projects that require additional planning, resources, and time. To ensure that limited resources are allocated effectively and transparently, the City should establish clear, objective criteria for prioritizing locations and selecting appropriate traffic calming measures.
In addition, PW should proactively coordinate traffic calming improvements with the City's pavement maintenance and resurfacing schedules. When streets are already scheduled for repaving, the City has an opportunity to incorporate appropriate traffic calming measures into the planned work rather than returning to the same locations later. This approach can reduce construction costs, minimize disruption to residents,
October 20, 2026
and accelerate implementation. Other cities have demonstrated the value of coordinating street safety improvements with planned pavement work as a costeffective way to maximize public investments and deliver improvements more efficiently.
Integrating traffic calming priorities into the City's pavement management process should therefore be a key component of the program.
Each year, PW should present the City Council with a prioritized list of proposed traffic calming projects. For each location, the list should include the criteria used to establish its priority, the recommended safety improvements, anticipated implementation timelines, estimated costs, and potential funding sources beyond the General Fund. The list should also identify opportunities to coordinate improvements with scheduled pavement maintenance and resurfacing projects.
This annual process would provide a clear roadmap for implementation, strengthen accountability, and help ensure that traffic safety investments are strategic, equitable, and sustained over time. By establishing consistent annual funding and coordinating traffic calming improvements with planned street maintenance, the City can make better use of available resources while delivering meaningful street safety improvements to residents more quickly.
In recent months, two fatal collisions have occurred on 23rd Street, and fatal crashes have also occurred in previous years on Carlson Boulevard and other streets throughout the City. While it is very important to plan safety improvements along 23rd Street and Carlson Boulevard, it is equally important to address safety concerns on other residential streets and intersections where residents have been waiting for solutions.
These incidents underscore the need for a comprehensive, citywide approach to traffic safety, one that goes beyond addressing individual locations after serious or fatal collisions occur. The City needs a sustained, annual funding allocation for traffic calming improvements, supported by clear, transparent, and objective criteria for prioritizing locations and determining which projects will move forward each year.
Equally important is the need to communicate these priorities to the public. Residents should be able to understand how locations are evaluated, why certain projects are prioritized, and when improvements may be expected. Even when a location cannot be addressed immediately, residents deserve to know that their concerns have been documented, their location has been evaluated, and their project remains in the queue for future funding and implementation.
A transparent, annually updated project pipeline would help build public trust, manage expectations, and demonstrate the City's commitment to addressing traffic safety concerns across all neighborhoods, not just at locations where recent fatal collisions have occurred. The goal should be to move from a reactive approach to a proactive, systematic, and sustained investment in safer streets for everyone.
October 20, 2026
DOCUMENTS LINKED:
Resolution 62-96 speed hump application criteria
Resolution No. 105-22 approving the local roadway safety plan Agenda Report Traffic Safety Implementation Strategy Based Upon a Number of Stakeholder Requests
Agenda Report Created Traffic Calming Division within the Department of Public Works Agenda Report Implemented McBryde Avenue Safe Routes to Park Project Traffic Safety Program and Projects:
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4944/Traffic-Safety-Programs-Projects Where to submit traffic safety requests:
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4510/Neighborhood-Safety-and-Access-Program Safer Streets 1 Various Locations:
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4633/23035---Traffic-Calming-Program Safer Streets 2 Traffic Safety Improvement Projects Fiscal Year 2025-2026:
https://sites.google.com/view/richmondtrafficsafetyimp/home?pli=1&authuser=0 Bike and Pedestrian Plan Various Locations:
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4944/Traffic-Safety-Programs-Projects#bike-ped