TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: John Ristow
AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: Designation of Safety Corridors DATE: February 24, 2025
Approved Date
3/5/25
COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution designating portions of certain San José roadways as Safety Corridors.
SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
Over the past several years, new laws have been passed to assist local agencies with improving traffic safety. Assembly Bill 43 (2021) and Assembly Bill 1938 (2022) provide additional flexibility in setting speed limits, and Assembly Bill 645 (2023) authorizes six local agencies, including San José, to establish a Speed Safety System Pilot Program.
To be applicable in San José, certain provisions of these bills require the designation of Safety Corridors; roadways that have the highest number of fatal and serious injuries caused by traffic collisions. The designating of roadways that are eligible per state law to be classified as Safety Corridors will enable these roadways to be considered for inclusion in the City’s Speed Safety System Pilot Program and/or for a possible reduction of the posted speed limit by an additional 5 miles per hour.
BACKGROUND
Assembly Bill 43 (Friedman)
The primary provisions of Assembly Bill (AB) 43 for local agencies include the ability to lower speed limits on streets within designated Safety Corridors, areas that generate high concentrations of pedestrians or bicyclists, and business activity districts. In June 2022, the City Council adopted a resolution to establish a 20 miles per hour business COUNCIL AGENDA: 3/18/25
FILE: 25-241
ITEM: 2.11
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 24, 2024
Subject: Designation of Safety Corridors
activity speed limit on certain streets in San José.1 AB 43 also provided the ability for certain engineering and traffic surveys (E&TS) used to establish posted speed limits to be extended to 14 years; the prior maximum extension was up to 10 years. AB 43 provisions related to Safety Corridors and areas generating high concentrations of pedestrians or bicyclists were not authorized for use by local agencies until June 30, 2024, or until the Judicial Council of California developed an online tool for adjudicating infraction violations statewide, whichever was sooner. The online tool enables ability-to- pay determination requests as mandated by Government Code section 68645.
Assembly Bill 1938 (Friedman)
The primary purpose of this assembly bill was to clarify and reinforce some of the intended outcomes of AB 43 related to speed limit setting flexibility.
Assembly Bill 645 (Friedman)
AB 645 authorizes the Cities of San José, Los Angeles, Oakland, Glendale, and Long Beach, and the City and County of San Francisco to establish a Speed Safety System Pilot Program that meets certain requirements. The speed safety system would use automated equipment to detect a violation of posted speed laws and obtain a clear photograph of a speeding vehicle’s license plate, facilitating the issuance of a citation.
The number of speed safety systems operated by a local agency is based on population; San José may operate up to 33 systems. Speed safety systems may be operated in the following areas:
• Streets meeting the standards of a Safety Corridor;
• Streets with a high number of motor vehicle speed contests or exhibitions of speed incidents; and
• School zones.
On October 29, 2024, City Council adopted a Speed Safety System Use Policy and Speed Safety System Pilot Program Impact Report based on requirements set forth in AB 645.
2 City Council also adopted a resolution authorizing the City Manager, or her designee, to award, negotiate, and execute an agreement for speed safety camera systems to be deployed citywide.
1 https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10996708&GUID=59A60596 -2FD6-4EBE-9359- 13FB29ED5B9A
2 https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6895537&GUID=A0CDFB5D -FA0B-434E-A5F3- 0483549C29E4
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 24, 2024
Subject: Designation of Safety Corridors
Existing San José Priority Safety Corridors
San José’s Priority Safety Corridors were established through the City’s Vision Zero program and identified the streets where most fatal and serious injuries cluster. These streets have been prioritized for street safety redesign projects. In 2023, the City expanded the corridors from 3% (75 miles) to 6% (150 miles) of streets to allow more opportunities for aggressive safety improvement treatments. At that time, the network of 17 corridors was expanded to 30 corridors with a new methodology that incorporated minor and moderate injuries and weighed fatal and serious injuries at three times the weight of minor and moderate injuries. In 2023, approximately 55% of fatalities and serious injuries occurred within this expanded Priority Safety Corridor network.
Twenty-eight of the Priority Safety Corridors are within the City’s jurisdiction, two are in the County of Santa Clara’s jurisdiction, and some segments are shared with other jurisdictions, such as unincorporated Santa Clara County, the Town of Los Gatos, and the City of Santa Clara.
ANALYSIS
Safety Corridors Requirements
The California Department of Transportation updated the California Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD) in January 2024 to incorporate provisions of the new speed limit setting flexibility and, as required by AB 43, to develop criteria for Safety Corridors and areas that generate high concentrations of pedestrians and bicyclists. The CAMUTCD provides standards and guidance to local agencies for use in deploying a wide variety of traffic control devices, which include traffic signs, for all streets.
Based on California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 22358.7 (codified portion of AB 43 relative to Safety Corridors) and the updated CAMUTCD, Safety Corridors must meet the following criteria.
• The combined network of Safety Corridors is where the highest incidence of serious injuries and fatalities occur in the jurisdiction. Between three to five years of the most recent crash data should be used to determine Safety Corridors. • A maximum of 20% of a jurisdiction’s street network may be designated as a Safety Corridor.
• Corridors should be evaluated on a 0.25-mile overlapping segment basis to assess the concentration of linear patterns of injuries. • At least one of the Crash Weighting Factors provided in the CAMUTCD is used to prioritize Safety Corridors.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 24, 2024
Subject: Designation of Safety Corridors
• The prioritized subset of corridors shall identify specific locations with high crash occurrence, identify corridor-level segments with a pattern of crash reoccurrence, and be able to be evaluated by mode of travel.
• A registered engineer licensed by the State of California must sign off on the boundaries of a Safety Corridor using an E&TS. Generally, unless a prima facie speed limit has been identified in the CVC, such as 25 miles per hour when approaching or passing school zones, agencies are required to conduct an E&TS to justify the posted speed limit. Once completed, an E&TS is filed with the Santa Clara County Superior Court for use as needed in traffic hearings.
Safety Corridors Designation
San José’s existing Priority Safety Corridors were established prior to AB 43 and the January 2024 CAMUTCD update and are based on alternate criteria. The primary differences between the two sets of corridors are that San José’s existing Priority Safety Corridors include roadways that are not in the City’s jurisdiction and some corridors were established based on a wider data set that considers minor and moderate injury crashes. To ensure the identified roadways can be considered as Safety Corridors for potential inclusion in the City’s Speed Safety System Pilot Program and/or for possible reduction of posted speed limits they will need to be memorialized as such through a resolution adopted by City Council.
The proposed Safety Corridors are fully within the jurisdiction of the City and do not include county expressways or segments that are shared with other jurisdictions. It is important to note that streets that are not fully under San José jurisdiction would not be eligible for the Speed Safety System Pilot Program. Further, while there is a process in the CVC for agencies with shared jurisdiction of a roadway to adopt a common speed limit, the CVC provisions for this process do not pertain to the speed limit setting flexibility authorized by AB 43.
Staff used the above CVC and CAMUTCD requirements to develop the proposed Safety Corridors. Crash data over a five-year period from 2019 – 2023 was used, and fatal and serious injuries were mapped and evaluated on a 0.25-mile overlapping basis.
An approximate 500-foot sliding/overlapping segment was used; the sliding segment helps to smooth out any errors in collision location reporting. A crash severity weighting factor was used that weighted fatal and serious injury crashes equally. The other available weighting factors were not applicable as less than 20% of the City's street network experiences a high occurrence of fatal and serious injury traffic collisions.
Attachment A identifies the proposed Safety Corridors for San José. Attachment B highlights the proposed corridors on a map.
The proposed Safety Corridors represent 4% (110 miles) of city streets and are a subset of San José’s existing Priority Safety Corridors. In 2023, approximately 53% of fatalities and serious injuries occurred on the proposed corridors. The difference of 40
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 24, 2024
Subject: Designation of Safety Corridors
miles from the City’s existing Priority Safety Corridors is primarily due to the consideration of only roadways that are fully in San José’s jurisdiction and that only consider serious injury and fatal crashes.
The proposed Safety Corridors will also involve a corresponding extension of the City’s established Priority Safety Corridors on the following corridors and are based on serious injuries and fatalities that occurred on the extended segments. The extended corridors will increase the City’s Priority Safety Corridor network to approximately 154 miles. • 11th Street, extended segment between Santa Clara Street and Hedding Street; • Capitol Avenue, extended between Alum Rock Road and Capitol Expressway; • King Road, extended segment between McKee Road and Mabury Road; and • Saratoga Avenue, extended segment between I-280 and Stevens Creek Boulevard.
The proposed designated Safety Corridors would be eligible for the deployment of Speed Safety Systems and/or lowering of posted speed limits. The proposed corridors, or segments of corridors, are ones that have experienced a relative continuous occurrence of fatal and serious injuries along the corridor.
Speed Safety System Pilot Program
The Speed Safety System Impact Report that was approved by City Council included potential segment locations where a Speed Safety System may be deployed. Staff are currently finalizing the locations for system deployment with input from the Police Department. The potential locations have been identified based on the following:
• Speed and traffic volume data;
• Crash records involving fatal and severe injuries related to speeding, red light running, and vehicles failing to yield to pedestrians;
• Vehicles traveling greater than 10 miles per hour or more in excess of the speed limit; and
• Citywide geographical and socio-economic distribution considerations.
A request for proposals was issued in December 2024 to obtain proposals from qualified vendors to provide a turnkey Speed Safety Solution that adheres to the stringent requirements outlined in AB 645 and provides related hardware, initial installation and potential future relocation, software, maintenance, warning/citation issuance and processing, and data reporting. Proposals were due on January 21, 2025 and it is anticipated that a contract with the successful vendor will be executed in spring 2025. The goal for initiating the installation and operation of the Speed Safety System pilot is June 2025.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 24, 2024
Subject: Designation of Safety Corridors
Lowered Speed Limits
In February 2023, an agreement with a consultant was executed to collect traffic data and to prepare draft E&TS for up to 530 roadway segments in San José. The agreement has an initial three-year term with two one-year extension options. Initial efforts have included 130 E&TS which extended to 14 years, collection of traffic data for 183 E&TS roadway segments, and completion of 150 draft E&TS. Some of these E&TS are on roadway segments that will be included in the Speed Safety System pilot. Staff are currently reviewing the draft E&TS to determine roadway segments that are eligible for a reduced speed limit. To complement the Speed Safety Camera System Pilot, staff anticipates bringing forward an initial subset of eligible roadway segments for City Council consideration in April 2025.
The consultant’s current efforts are prioritized on collecting traffic data and preparing E&TS for the remaining roadway segments that are being considered for the Speed Safety System Pilot. A secondary priority is on data collection and E&TS preparation for the remaining proposed Safety Corridors. Staff will review the draft E&TS as they are completed. Staff anticipates that some of these segments will be eligible for reduced speed limits with a goal of bringing forward a potential second subset of eligible roadway segments for City Council consideration in summer 2025.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Speed Safety System Pilot Program – Annual updates will be provided to the Transportation and Environment Committee on the implementation of the Speed Safety System Pilot Program.
Lowered Speed Limits – Upon the completion of updated E&TS for the Safety Corridors, staff will bring forward recommendations to City Council on an initial subset of roadways where speed limit reductions are proposed. Staff anticipates this will occur in April 2025.
COST SUMMARY/IMPLICATIONS
There are no budgetary actions associated with the designation of Safety Corridors.
Staff will include cost implications of lowering posted speed limits when those actions are brought forward to the City Council. Staff provided cost information on the Speed Safety System Pilot program in the memorandums
3 provided to City Council on October
29, 2024.
3 https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6895537&GUID=A0CDFB5D -FA0B-434E-A5F3- 0483549C29E4
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 24, 2024
Subject: Designation of Safety Corridors
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office, the City Manager’s Budget Office, the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department, and the Police Department.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City’s Council Agenda website for the March 18, 2025 City Council meeting.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION AND INPUT
No commission recommendation or input is associated with this action.
CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-008, General procedure and policy making resulting in no changes to the physical environment.
PUBLIC SUBSIDY REPORTING
This item does not include a public subsidy defined in section 53083 or 53083.1 of the California Government Code or the City’s Open Government Resolution.
/s/
John Ristow
Director of Transportation
For questions, please contact Lam Cruz, Division Manager with the Department of Transportation at [email protected].
Attachments: A – Proposed Safety Corridors
B – Proposed Safety Corridors Map
Attachment A
PROPOSED SAFETY CORRIDORS
1. Alum Rock Avenue US 101 – White Road (CD 3, 5)
2. Blossom Hill Road Camden Avenue – Coyote Road (CD 2, 9, 10)
3. Branham Lane Camden Avenue – Monterey Road (CD 2, 9)
4. Camden Avenue Union Avenue – Coleman Road (CD 9, 10)
5. Capitol Avenue Trimble Road – Capitol Expressway (CD 4, 5)
6. Curtner Avenue Bascom Avenue – Monterey Road (CD 6, 7, 9)
7. Eleventh Street Hedding Street – Humboldt Street (CD 3)
8. First Street SR 237 – Montague Expressway (CD 4)
Charcot Avenue – Burton Avenue (CD 3, 4, 6)
Reed Avenue – Alma Avenue (CD 3)
9. Fruitdale Avenue Bascom Avenue – Meridian Avenue (CD 6)
10. Hillsdale Avenue Camden Avenue – Almaden Expressway (CD 9)
11. Jackson Avenue Mabury Road – Story Road (CD 5)
12. King Road Mabury Road – Aborn Road (CD 3, 5, 7, 8)
13. McKee Road US 101 – White Road (CD 3, 5)
14. McLaughlin Avenue William Street – Capitol Expressway (CD 3, 7)
15. Meridian Avenue San Carlos Street – Minnesota Avenue (CD 6) Curtner Avenue – Hillsdale Avenue (CD 9)
Blossom Hill Road – Camden Avenue (CD 10)
16. Monterey Road Alma Avenue – Bernal Road (CD 2, 7, 10)
17. Moorpark Avenue Saratoga Avenue – SR 17 (CD 1)
18. Quimby Road Tully Road – Ruby Avenue (CD 8)
19. Santa Clara Street Almaden Boulevard – US 101 (CD 3)
20. Santa Teresa Boulevard SR 85 – Bayliss Drive (CD 10)
21. Saratoga Avenue Stevens Creek Boulevard – Quito Road (CD 1)
22. Senter Road Story Road – Monterey Road (CD 2, 3, 7)
23. Snell Avenue Capitol Expressway – Santa Teresa Boulevard (CD 2, 10)
24. Stevens Creek Boulevard I-880 – Bascom Avenue (CD 6)
25. San Carlos Street Bascom Avenue – Woz Way (CD 3, 6)
26. Story Road Senter Road – Clayton Road (CD 5, 7)
27. Tenth Street Santa Clara Street – Humboldt Street (CD 3)
28. Tully Road Monterey Road – Ruby Avenue (CD 7, 8)
29. White Road Alum Rock Avenue – Abord Road (CD 5, 8)
Attachment B
PROPOSED SAFETY CORRIDORS MAP