Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
1 Is the ~$100M program cost
for 5 years? The Vision
Zero program is for 25
years, and is it correct that
the entire program will cost
half a billion dollars?
Councilmember
Jain
The $100M referenced in the City Council presentation is not for 5 years; it is only an estimate of capital improvement project costs (in 2025 dollars) for the top 10 Priority Corridors identified in the Plan and 5 years of annual Public Works staff/program costs. The total program cost (through year 2050) is estimated to be $405 million (in 2025 dollars). It should be noted that this is a preliminary planning-level estimate, and the goal is to update the Vision Zero Action Plan every five years with a refresh of project and program costs.
2 The City has a Climate
Action Plan that looks at
transportation demand
management and has a
goal of adding separated
bike lanes. The Vision Zero
Action Plan also
recommends adding
separated bike lanes. How
do you separate the costs
for these two programs?
Councilmember
Jain
The 2022 Climate Action Plan outlined high-level programmatic costs and did not include any specific project cost estimates. However, the Vision Zero Action Plan provides more specific project costs on priority corridors based on conceptual engineering design of safety improvements.
Although these two plans have overlapping goals and policies to improve transportation safety, the project cost estimates do not conflict. 3 I like quick-build
improvements and
experiments, for example
the bollards added on
Monroe Street. How
effective have these types
of quick-build improvements
been on Monroe Street, in
terms of reducing collisions
and injuries, especially to
students near the school?
Councilmember
Jain
The quick-build improvement of bollards on Monroe Street near Francis Avenue was installed in late 2022. Staff compared collision data two years before and two years after the installation and note a reduction in collision severity involving students (under age 15) and the overall number of collisions.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
4 How many speed humps do
we have in the city and how
effective are they? There
are some new speed
humps that work for public
safety vehicles. Can you
explain what those are?
Councilmember
Jain
In Santa Clara, we have 8 speed humps on public roadways: 5 on Briarwood Drive just south of Cabrillo Avenue and 3 on Bassett Street just south of Agnew Road. On Briarwood Drive in 2019 (prior to speed hump installation), the 85th percentile speed was 24 MPH. In 2024, the 85th percentile speed was 19 MPH - a 5 MPH speed reduction.
In collaboration with the Fire Department, Public Works staff is finalizing a new speed hump design with two vertical gaps within the speed hump for the Benton Street Bikeway project. These are often referred to as "speed cushions" or “speed lumps” with the goal to allow emergency response vehicles (such a fire trucks) to drive through them without needing to slow down dramatically.
5 Improved street lighting is
important. The City put in
the rainbow crosswalk on
Monroe St in the downtown
area, however it lacks street
lighting. The City installed
many HAWK signals, but
they can be confusing for
public. I have seen yellow
flashing lights on the side in
the street. Does the Plan
envision using these?
Councilmember
Jain
A streetlight currently exists at the rainbow crosswalk location that was installed with the redevelopment in that area. The Plan includes a countermeasure toolbox as a guide for the future design of improvements along the high priority corridors. This toolbox includes improved intersection lighting to facilitate pedestrian crossings as well as pedestrian improvements such as HAWKs (High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk Beacon), Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (i.e. flashing lights at uncontrolled crosswalks) and improved street lighting.
Additionally, to improve the public’s understanding of how HAWKs operate, the plan includes strategies for enhanced public education on traffic control devices such as HAWKs.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
6 I have seen more people
running through red lights
after the pandemic. Police
traffic enforcement is key to
success in achieving Vision
Zero and it is important to
teach people how to drive
safely. Red-light running
cameras would be
supported to enhance
enforcement.
Councilmember
Jain
Automated enforcement using cameras is a strategy that has been implemented by some municipalities to reduce risky driving behavior.
However, this strategy requires significant additional Police staffing to manage a red-light camera running program. Police staff is also aware that some jurisdictions discontinued the use of red-light cameras due to high cost, lack of effectiveness, and legal challenges. While the Plan does not recommend specifically the use of red-light running cameras, it does recommend additional traffic enforcement targeting violation of traffic control devices which includes red-light running behavior. 7 Do we have data of how
Killed or Severely Injured
(KSI) collisions in Santa
Clara compared to County
or other cities?
Councilmember
Chahal
Santa Clara’s Killed or Severely Injured (KSI) collision rate is lower than County of Santa Clara average. With most current available data, in 2021, Santa Clara’s rate was 19.54 KSI collisions per capita, whereas the Countywide rate was 31.62 KSI collisions per capita. Additionally, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) data, with most current available data, in 2022, Santa Clara ranked as #4 safest City in California related to the number of KSIs. This rank was among 61 comparable (population size of 100,000-250,000) cities in California. 8 San Jose and Fremont
have traffic cameras. We
should think of adding traffic
cameras, especially at
intersections with more
collisions.
Councilmember
Chahal
Noted. Please see response to question #6 above regarding red-light running cameras.
9 Support for flashing stop
signs, but not HAWK
signals. Flashing stop signs
are low-cost.
Councilmember
Chahal
Noted. Please see response to question #5 above. Currently, staff is focused on installing more Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons in lieu of HAWKs.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
10 City should look into ideas
of vehicle free zones, study
best practices from
European countries and
cities such as Helsinki with
regards to Vision Zero
programs. Also, Hoboken,
New Jersey has also
successfully achieved
Vision Zero and can be a
case study.
Councilmember
Chahal Noted.
11 Does City have any
oversight regarding traffic
safety on private property,
for example, the roundabout
inside Costco?
Councilmember
Gonzalez
The City does not have oversight regarding traffic safety on private property. For new development projects, a traffic study may be required to review onsite circulation.
12 Is there any correlation to a
better transit system and
number of Killed or
Severely Injured (KSIs)?
Councilmember
Gonzalez
While the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan (Plan) does not study how a transit system can affect a municipality’s KSI collision rate, there has been research conducted nationally that indicates communities with higher transit ridership have lower per capita traffic fatality rates.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
13 Is there a breakdown of
Killed or Severely Injured
(KSI) collisions in report?
Do we have finer details of
fatal and severe injuries
collisions? Is there a
breakdown of data by age?
Councilmember
Park
The Plan provides breakdown of collision severity (Table 3) and collision types (Figure 9). Collision profiles were also identified to understand the characteristics and trends of KSI collisions including collision data by age. Additionally, the collision summary tables (included as Appendix D of the draft Vision Zero Action Plan) includes injury severity (including KSIs), collision types, pedestrian or bicycle involved collisions, driver behavioral factors, and roadway condition information for all intersections and roadway segments.
14 Along central expressway
between De La Cruz and
Lafayette Street, there is a
different type of crossing
underneath the freeway. It
concerns me that this short
stretch is accident-prone.
Has there been before/after
evaluation conducted when
we made the changes to
that underpass? I'd like to
know why that stretch is
problematic. In the future,
that connection will be
important to connect to
future BART station.
Councilmember
Park
The grade-separated bike and pedestrian undercrossing referenced in the question is north of Central Expressway and De La Cruz Blvd. This location is at the Highway 101 off ramps and Trimble Road (in San Jose) and was completed as part of the VTA's US101/De La Cruz/Trimble Road Interchange Improvements project. Since its construction in August 2024, there was no reported collision at that undercrossing.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
15 How does City get input
from residents who don't
take surveys?
Councilmember
Park
In addition to Vision Zero project surveys, the City used a wide range of strategies to solicit community input: providing project information on the City's Vision Zero webpage, CityNews email updates, project hotline, project email, street signs, bus shelter advertisement (on El Camino Real), tabling at public events, and hybrid community workshops. Moving forward, the City will continue to leverage these existing outreach channels to keep the public abreast of ongoing and future Vision Zero implementation efforts.
16 Support for vehicle free
zones, traffic cameras,
license plate reading
technology.
Councilmember
Park Noted. Please see response to #4 above.
17 Along Kaiser Dr where
there is a road diet, we
narrowed the intersections
with extended curbs into the
streets but that created a
bigger problem: people are
standing closer to turning
vehicles. We need to look at
other ways to slow down
vehicles.
Councilmember
Park
Curb extensions, or bulb-outs, are effective safety countermeasures as they increase pedestrian visibility, shorten crossing distances (thereby reducing pedestrian exposure while crossing intersection), and promote slower vehicular turning speeds. While pedestrians may be closer to the travel lane, this is generally mitigated by slower turning speeds and improved sightlines when curb radius is reduced. It should be noted that curb extensions are very popular and used widely in the Bay Area for the reasons stated above.
18 We need to look at all
aspects of speed humps
and the impact of impeding
public safety (and
emergency response).
Councilmember
Park Noted. Please see response to #4 above.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
19 What criteria can be used to
implement solutions in the
Countermeasure Toolbox?
Councilmember
Hardy
The City will need to review each location/site prior to implementation.
Additionally, several countermeasures will need further studies completed, which consider a number of factors including collision patterns, vehicle speeds, volumes, roadway characteristics, types of roadways affected, adjacent land uses, and bicycle and pedestrian activity. The City will leverage state (Caltrans) and national guidance documents which contains crash reduction factors (CRF) for safety countermeasures to assess expected reduction in collisions. 20 The map of collision
hotspots (Figure 2) shows
some locations of county
expressways, which seems
contradictory to page 24 of
the Plan. Please clarify the
statistics of % collisions
occurred on city streets
versus county and state-
maintained roadways.
Councilmember
Hardy
Figure 2 is focused on showing only fatal and severe injury collisions (190 Killed or Severely Injured (KSI) collisions), whereas the statistics on page 24 are based on all 7,934 collisions (KSI and others) within Santa Clara during the 8-year analysis period. A summary of collisions on City streets versus county and state-maintained roadways will be included in the final Plan.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
21 The City Council has
previously approved
bikeway studies for
Pruneridge Avenue, Monroe
Street and Benton Street
but there was no funding for
subsequent implementation.
Will this Vision Zero Plan
help with these projects and
their funding?
Councilmember
Hardy
Yes, Pruneridge Avenue, Monroe Street and Benton Street are all part of the High-Injury Network identified by the Plan. Adopting the Vision Zero Action Plan will help direct staff to prioritize the implementation of safety improvements including the approved bikeways on these streets which includes pursuing grant funding for implementation. However, it should be noted that approval of the Plan alone does not include approval of project funding. The funding allocation will need to happen as a separate action approved by City Council or be incorporated in the bi-annual capital budget process.
22 For those new speed
humps on Briarwood, the
neighborhood expressed
appreciation on this and
also the new stop signs at
Cabrillo/Briarwood.
Councilmember
Hardy
Noted. Speed humps are one of the many countermeasures the Plan's Countermeasure Toolbox.
23 For traffic enforcement,
suggest consideration of
going after vehicles (not
drivers) for violations.
Councilmember
Hardy
Noted. The specifics of traffic enforcement are based on state law. City staff is monitoring any new traffic laws from the state, and one of the listed actions in the Vision Zero Action Plan is to track and support any new legislatives of safer vehicles, particularly around traffic enforcement on driverless vehicles.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
24 Support for left lagging
lights, permissive left-turns,
and protected/permissive
left-turns. San Jose allow
left-turns unprotected at
some of their downtown
intersections when there is
no incoming traffic.
Councilmember
Hardy
Left lagging lights refer to traffic signals where the protected left turn (i.e. left turn arrow signal indication) appears after the opposing straight (through) traffic gets its green light. The City has lagging left turn lights at some locations, and this is a signal timing strategy that is implemented based on location-specific traffic patterns and does not improve safety.
Permissive left-turn phasing can increase collision risk at intersections, particularly broadside collisions, by allowing drivers to turn left when they perceive to have a sufficient gap in opposing through traffic to complete the turn. As noted in the Vision Zero Action Plan, one of the primary safety challenges is intersection safety. Staff may consider left lagging lights, permissive left-turn and protected/permissive left-turn phasing after conducting studies.
25 With the approval of the
Vision Zero Plan, will we get
some funding for these
improvements?
Councilmember
Hardy
Approval of the Vision Zero Action Plan provides a focused effort towards citywide traffic safety and with the creation of the High Injury Network and corresponding top 10 Priority Corridors, the City will be eligible for State and Federal grant opportunities related to traffic safety funding. 26 How does the 15MPH
school zone speed limit
effort play into the Vision
Zero project?
Mayor Gillmor
15 mile per hour (MPH) speed limits in school zones is included as a short-term programmatic improvement in the draft Vision Zero Action Plan. In June 2025, City Council approved an initiative to reduce speed limits on certain streets around schools from 25 to 15 MPH when children are present. The reduced 15 mph speed limit supports the City’s goal of creating safer streets for children walking and biking to school, as lowering speeds in school zones can reduce both the likelihood and severity of collisions for all road users. Installation of 15 mph speed limit signs is now complete, and the new signs have been posted around the following 28 schools:
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
1. Bowers Elementary School
2. Bracher Elementary School
3. Briarwood Elementary School
4. Buchser Middle School
5. Cabrillo Middle School
6. Central Park Elementary School
7. Don Callejon Arts and Design School
8. Eisenhower Elementary School
9. Haman Elementary School
10. Hughes Elementary School
11. Laurelwood Elementary School
12. Millikin Elementary School
13. Montague Elementary School
14. Monticello Academy
15. New Valley High School
16. Pomeroy Elementary School
17. Santa Clara Christian School - Monticello Academy
18. Santa Clara Community Day School
19. Scott Lane Elementary School
20. St. Clare Elementary
21. St. Lawrence Elementary & Middle School
22. Stratford Middle School
23. Stratford School - Dolores Avenue
24. Sutter Elementary School
25. Washington Open Elementary School
26. Westwood Elementary School
27. Wilcox High School and Santa Clara Adult Education
28. Wilson High School
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
27 Maps in Draft Vision Zero
Report do not show details
of collisions. The
commenter requested
release of detailed crash
data to the public. The
maps in the Draft Plan had
shown zero KSI on
sidewalks or paths of
county expressways. Both
Vision Zero Santa Clara
and San Jose show that
expressways are the safest
roads to walk along, with
zero crashes.
Public
The City utilized collision data obtained from the City’s traffic collision database. Collision data included information on location (intersections, coordinates), injury severity, primary collision factor, violation, party at fault, road conditions, vehicle, safety device used, and demographics. A summary of collisions by facility type (intersections and roadway segments) is provided in the Plan’s appendices.
It is important to note that the Plan does not analyze the safety of walking on expressways as that is outside of the scope of the Citywide study on overall traffic safety. Many segments of expressways that do not have adequate pedestrian facilities prohibit pedestrians.
28 Engineering will make
biggest impact in achieving
Vision Zero. City needs to
commit to redesigning
infrastructure to slow
speeds and improve safety.
Public Noted. The Plan includes priority engineering projects and an engineering countermeasure toolbox.
Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
Responses to Council and Public Comments
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
Item Question/Comment Commenter Response
29 Vision Zero is all about
people, and the most
effective way is to make our
streets safer. We need
commitment from City to
make City's streets safer
and take immediate action.
We need to build these
improvements as soon as
we can after the Plan is
approved. I suggest utilizing
repaving projects as a
mechanism to implement
low-cost improvements and
bike lanes.
Public Noted. The Plan recommends a similar implementation approach where feasible.
30 I applaud the Vision Zero
project, and I recognized
the needed urgency of
Vision Zero. The City
Council needs to take
immediate action and
should not wait for another
study: (1) enforcing
intersection daylighting per
AB 43, (2) conducting more
parking enforcement, which
is locally underfunded in the
city, and (3) update Traffic
Calming Policy (1999).
Public Noted. The Plan includes these actions, and the City has been working on these items.