ADVOCACY TOPIC: Rebuild the SJPD Traffic Enforcement Division

"LONG TIME, NO SEE" — on Lincoln Avenue as of Thursday 26 February, 2015, two officers from the San Jose Police Department's (SJPD) Traffic Enforcement Division showed up this afternoon by motorcycle. They stopped at Pizza my Heart for lunch and parked their shinny motorcycles in full view of motorists and pedestrians.    

They were then greeted with great spirit by local pedestrians. 

Richard Zappelli, Chairperson for Stakeholders SGV, spoke to the traffic enforcement officers.  

They said that there are the only two traffic enforcement division officers at this time…  that's for the entire city of San Jose, as Mr. Zappelli understood the comment.   

Mr. Zappelli hopes that the city will REBUILD this traffic enforcement division, as soon possible.

These traffic enforcement officers make it safer for children to walk and bicycle to school.

National Safe Routes To School  (SRTS) is a program that is aimed at increasing the number of children walking and bicycling to school, while also improving the safety of those activities. Law enforcement agencies can play a very important role in this program, working with the city's Department of Transportation (DOT) engineers; as well as teachers, health advocates and parents.  This is all to improve student safety and encourage more physical activity.

Stakeholders Safe for a Safe Green Village has been busy ADVOCATING for the RETURN of this important division of the SJPD.   We encourage you to express your support in comments here; to your city council members; as well as to the officers themselves. 


LEARN MORE about the SJPD's Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) at the official web page.

Lincoln Avenue Road Diet/Lane Reduction; Street Safety Improvement — A Letter of Summary & Recommendations

Addressed to: Willow Glen Business Association

December 21, 2014

Tim Mulcahy

President, Willow Glen Business Association
1261 Lincoln Avenue
San Jose CA 95125

Dear Tim,

This will summarize key points in conversation that we had yesterday.

1. For many years, the Willow Glen community has been concerned with trends of heavy commuter traffic, resulting with increases to traffic bypass and congestion; whereas, that’s in addition to those issues related to pedestrian and bicycle safety; accidents; plus, regular speeding in excess of 25mph, which goes against the standard for a neighborhood street that’s proximate to a business district and schools.
   These concerns were expressed as of November 20, 2014, which was at a community meeting with both Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) and the Business Association (WGBA); therein, especially discussing and making note of the negative safety and accident effects that a road diet — if not properly designed —could have on local schools, business and general neighborhood street safety.  Specific concerns were mentioned about Lincoln Avenue traffic, such as what’s south of Minnesota Avenue to Curtner Avenue.  For example, newly approved developments will impact the neighborhood with at least 7,000 additional housing units in the very near future:  Tamien Station Area Plan/Transit Village; Communications Hill 2; Ohlone Towers; Fruitdale Station (final phase); Sobrato residential at Lincoln Avenue, between Parkmoor & Auzerais (final phase).
2. Lincoln Avenue Road Diet Working Group ( RDWG ) held two closed-door, non-public meetings as of November 21 and December 4, year 20014.  These meetings were held privately — without community input — as referenced in the posted minutes, as seen here from WGBA:  http://www.willowglen.org/lincoln-road-diet
   San Jose Department of Transportation’s (DOT) presented a current draft plan and pilot program for the road diet/lane reduction, which is suggested for the area between Parkmoor and Minnesota Avenues.
   RDWG agreed, that for the pilot test to be successful, that the road diet/lane reduction must occur between Curtner and Coe Avenues.  The concerns are that a traffic back-up would increase the likelihood and risk of many motorists seeking an escape or alternate route from a gridlock, such as by diverting to nearby neighborhood streets that are perpendicular to Lincoln Avenue.
   Other concerns are with the safety of children at Willow Glen Elementary and River Glen School,. such as with exposure to particulate matter from idling cars.  Children, at such young age, are far more sensitive to, and at risk from, the pollution that’s created by excessive traffic, as well as idling cars.
   RGWG developed a list of issues to address, including: speed limit reductions; better signage; crosswalk improvements; traffic light timing, etc.
   DOT staff indicated that there may not be sufficient funds to expand the length of the test, such as from Coe to Curtner Avenues.  There are more costs involved than just striping the Lincoln Avenue; so, it may be cost prohibitive to expand the pilot program beyond Parkmoor and Minnesota Avenues.
   There is already a scheduled resurfacing plan for Lincoln Avenue in the autumn 2015 calendar, such as between West San Carlos Street and Minnesota Avenue.
   At the time of the resurfacing of Lincoln Avenue (between these two points) the cost of re-striping the surface — albeit for a road diet or return to original striping format — is already built-in to the cost of the autumn 2015 program.  There is no need to find additional funding, as it’s already covered.
   Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village (Stakeholders SGV) recommends that the test/pilot program begin at Pedro Street (at Los Gatos Creek), going south past the intersection of Minnesota and Lincoln Avenues.  This is so as to avoid complications at the Minnesota and Lincoln Avenue intersection; whereas, hopefully, the test will continue (southbound) past Pine Avenue, as far south as the budget will allow.
3. San Jose’s downtown, and some of the adjoining neighborhood streets (i.e., those of Willow Glen) are within a four mile radius of the downtown core/urban area; whereas, “Vehicle Miles Traveled” (VMT) replaced “Level of Service (LOS) guidelines.
   Also, trips by bike tend to be shorter trips, (e.g., Park Avenue, Hedding Street bikes routes, etc ), as they are identified in Envision 2014 Transportation Goals and San Jose Bike Plan 2020’s “Primary Bikeway.”  San Jose has identified ten streets that have received a combination of city, state and federal funding, which pays for road diets/lane reductions.
   Funding for Park Avenue serves as a part of San Jose’s Primary Bikeway Network.  The San Jose Department of Transportation has secured three grants.  These three grants are from U.S. federal Community Design and Transportation; California state’s Bicycle Transportation Account;  U.S. federal Highway Safety Improvement Program; as well as California state’s  Environmental Services Department secured grants, which provide funding to install “green street treatments.”

Low cost recommendations improve safety and build wide-spread community support: 

1. Lincoln Avenue Road Diet should go from Parkmoor to Curtner Avenue as a final implantation (beyond the pilot program), so as to minimize the negative impact on Willow Glen community, business district, neighborhood street safety, schools, traffic congestion, etc.  The road diet/lane reduction is to be fully implemented, with the allocation of funds.
2. Due to current funding constraints, the road diet/lane reduction pilot program should only go from Coe Avenue /Pedro Street to Willow Glen Way; that is, to minimize the impact on Willow Glen Elementary School and to improve safety for children; since (if started at Minnesota), exposure to particulate matter is increased by back-up traffic. 
3. Current speed limit between Minnesota and Willow Glen Way should be reduced from 35 mph to 25 mph. Currently, the area in front of the school is only 25mph when children are going to / from school; therefore, the reduction will (1) an increase to overall safety and (2) make the school crosswalk at Willow Glen Way safer; as well as (3) slow down traffic before the rest of the 25 mph business district; and (4) build road diet/lane reduction support from the school principal, PTA and parents.
4. Current speed limit between Curtner Avenue to Willow Glen Way should be reduced from 35 mph to 30 mph while retaining 25 mph in front Willow Glen Community Center.
5. Add a second Left Turn lane for Northbound at Lincoln and Curtner and before intersection
   Add a directional sign (with an arrow) directing motorists that are seeking a route from Curtner Avenue to Interstate-880 or I-280, to drive to Meridian Avenue and turn right towards Hamilton Avenue.
   At the northeast corner of Lincoln and Curtner, add a sign that advises motorists that the speed limit on Lincoln Avenue is 25mph, since the speed limit on Curtner, Hamilton and Meridian are all at 35mph, with multiple lanes.
6. Apply for state and federal grant funds, which will include working with elected representatives, so as to obtain funding for recently passed, but unfunded, “Three Feet for Safety” law for bike lanes.

Sincerely 

Ed Rast & Richard Zappelli

Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village — Willow Glen

Lincoln Avenue Road Diet / Lane Reduction Position Paper (20 November 2014) ★ Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village

     
Lincoln Avenue’s Road Diet/Lane Reduction project has been in the plans since at least year 2009; whereas, it has now taken on an alteration to its original plan, creating what can become a mass confusion at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue at Minnesota Avenue. That’s still yet to consider the opposite end of the strip at Willow Street and Lincoln Avenue. San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio's recent change of plans, such as to make alterations to the pilot test for downtown Willow Glen’s “Road Diet” or “lane reduction,” seems to have good intentions, but it has many problems.

Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village —Willow Glen (a.k.a. Stakeholders SGV) has been in conversation with Councilmember Oliverio, and the Willow Glen Business Association (WGBA) board members; therein, expressing concern about the usage of the Minnesota and Lincoln Avenues intersection that’s in front of the school for a pilot testing of this lane reduction project.

We believe that this revised lane-reduction pilot study and trial run, of which is recently being recommended to the neighborhood, will cause increased traffic congestion; that’s in addition to unsafe public safety situations for children, parents and motorist. Ultimately, it can cause the reverse to the intended outcome, making a mess of the downtown Willow Glen scene and connecting streets. Furthermore, it does not set-up a proper sampling or test run area that will represent the overall project; therefore the pilot study will not only create a messy situation; but, also provide inadequate feedback and lack of hypothetical scenarios.

For example, consider that the revision to the plan, which now focuses the road diet only to the area between Willow Street and Minnesota Avenue, excludes the rest of the sections of Lincoln Avenue. In that proposition, going north bound from Almaden Expressway to Minnesota Avenue, the lane reduction calls for motorists to face a lane merger that will bottleneck from two northbound lanes into one north bound lane as they cross Minnesota Avenue. It seems like an impossibility and messy predicament, such as to think that motor vehicles will suddenly be able to merge safely and readily at this busy intersection.

Per the revision, the main four lane strip of downtown Willow Glen — from Willow Street to Minnesota Avenue — will now be reduced to two lanes, one going north and the other south. Second: at the center of the street, there will also be a lane dedicated for left or right turns, as well as for emergency vehicle access. The reduction of two opposing lanes on the avenue will then allow for bicycle lanes to be added at the side of the street. Bicyclists will have a dedicated lane on each side of the road, going north and south. This is called a Road Diet/Lane Reduction; but, again, the framing of the project will be exclusively to the downtown strip, while ignoring the connecting areas. In other words, this proposal would be an inversion of the original plan and test areas.

Indeed, it’s agreed that the goal of a Road Diet is to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Lincoln Avenue. This initiative is being lead by downtown’s Willow Glen Business Association with the aim to improve the situation. What is more, Stakeholders SGV, the lead sponsor for the Walk/Bike to School event each year, also wholeheartedly supports the road diet concept as a traffic calming device.

However, it has been made known to the WGBA (the downtown business association) and Councilmember Oliverio, that Stakeholders SGV does not support the starting point of this Road Diet Pilot Study at the intersection in front of Willow Glen Elementary School. Stakeholders SGV does not support the starting point at any place close to the intersection in front of the school.

Repeatedly, Stakeholders SGV has proposed and asked for an alternative starting place for the Road Diet Pilot Study, as well as for the overall implementation of the project in the aftermath. As of the date of this letter, that request has yet to be acknowledged, not yet providing an alternative to the cited problem.

Per the stated concern and response to this Road Diet revision and its Pilot Study, its been suggested that the starting point of Lincoln Avenue’s lane reduction be made someplace else along the length of the strip, such as beyond Malone Road. This is because we want to avoid the Willow Glen Middle & High Schools access point at Malone, aside from further up the road towards the elementary school. If it happens at Malone, then motorist will try to escape the grid lock and will use friendly and quiet neighborhood side streets to get to Bird Avenue, an alternate north-south escape route.

It is the recommendation of Stakeholders SGV to begin the lane reduction at the source of the problem, which is primarily at Curtner and Lincoln Avenue.

Stakeholders SGV still supports the Road Diet and its Pilot Study, if appropriately planned. For example, there are many California cities that provide successful Road Diet case studies. Those best cities include: San Diego, Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Francisco, and Santa Rosa. All of these cities have since implemented successful Road Diets that show a major reduction of roadway traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Comparatively, as of last year 2013, Lincoln Avenue had over 23 known and recorded accidents of this serious nature, of which one was a traffic fatality. In fact, another time in the recent past, one of such incidents was not considered as an on-site fatality, but it was learned that the person eventually died at the hospital. Many of these accidents took place in crosswalks at Lincoln Avenue.

Dedicated bike lanes are badly needed on Lincoln Avenue to accommodate the growing share of bicyclists in the area that are already using the avenue, as well as to comply with the standards of California’s new Three Feet for Safety Act.
When dedicated north-south lanes are added to an implemented Road Diet, case studies show (in the aftermath) that there are very little changes to traffic counts . Studies show that with a dedicated left turn lane, that traffic moves smother, as well as that there are fewer serious accidents. Furthermore, the middle lane provides for emergency vehicle access on Lincoln Avenue; which, with the current four lane road design, unsafe crossovers, bypasses and gridlock, our emergency vehicles presently have no speedily and manageable access. A center turn lane, alternately used as an emergency lane, will also improve the city’s 9-1-1 response time.

This position paper is prepared in anticipation to a neighborhood meeting that occurs Thursday 20 November 2014, and/or a response from Councilmember Oliverio. Further considerations can be made for the opposite end of the strip at Willow Street and Lincoln Avenue; such as, and including, another suggested starting point at Pedro Street and Lincoln Avenue (or thereabouts). This segment of the avenue is also of significant concern; that is, including Broadway Avenue and River Glen School, then out to Coe and Lincoln Avenue.

Best,

Richard Zappelli, 

Chairperson, Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village — Willow Glen
Former President, 2011 to 2014, Willow Glen Neighborhood Association

ROAD DIET MEETING for LINCOLN AVENUE

NEIGHBORHOOD DISCUSSION 

ABOUT LANE REDUCTION: 

Meeting occurs Thursday 20 November 2014 

at Willow Glen Elementary (Cafeteria). 

Be sure to arrive from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

BY THE WAY, also don't forget the TAMIEN STATION Meeting 

happening as of 18 November 2014 at Elk's Lodge ——> https://www.facebook.com/StakeholdersSGV/posts/1548478312059558

WALK SCHOOL 2014: PHOTO ALBUM

 Walk to School Day

— a National Safe Routes to School program — 

occurred Wednesday 15 October 2014

Participating schools included:

Willow Glen Elementary 

River Glen School 

Ernesto Galarza Elementary

Hammer Montessori School

Sacred Heart Nativity School

This event featured giveaways, refreshments, local sports mascots, prizes and dignitaries.

"Walk to School," Autumn 2014, is promoted by 
Stakeholders for Safe Green Village 
for the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, California.

Thanks to our program Sponsors:

Ranch Town Recycling

Arteaga's Food Center; 

Reed & Graham, Inc.

Additional Contributions by:

Bank of America 

(for annual use of the Parking Lot); 

Round Table Pizza - Willow Glen 

(for annually serving out cheese pizzas for the children);

Walgreens Stores 

(for supplying students umbrellas, bottled water, and flu shots)

Appreciation for our local sports teams and their mascots:

San Francisco Giants & "Gigante"

Oakland A's & "Stomper"

San Jose Earthquakes & "Q"

San Jose Sharks & "SJ Sharkie"

As well as local dignitaries:

Paul Fong, California State Assemblymember from the 28th district

Dave Cortese, Santa Clara County Supervisor

Pierluigi Oliverio, San Jose District 6 Councilmember

Hans Larsen, San Jose Department of Transportation

San Jose Police Department

Join children & adults around the world to celebrate the benefits of walking: 

Physical activity — Teaching safe pedestrian & bicycling skills to children — Awareness of how walkable & bikable community improvements can be made — Concern for the environment — Reducing traffic congestion, pollution & speed near schools — Sharing time with community leaders, parents & children

DAY ON THE BAY, SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2014

Supervisor Dave Cortese 

— San Jose Mayoral Candidate 2014 — 

Invites you to the 

Annual "Day on the Bay: A Multicultural Festival" 

as of Sunday 12 October 2014 

at Alviso Marina County Park.  

Arrive from 10:00am to 3:00pm to be part of the festivities.

By the way, its free admission, includes free flu shots and free pumpkins… 

so feel FREE to join us!

SF GIANTS' "GIGANTE" TO APPEAR AT "WALK TO SCHOOL" EVENT 15 OCTOBER

SF GIANTS' MASCOT, "GIGANTE," HAS CONFIRMED THAT HE WILL BE AT THE "WALK TO SCHOOL" EVENT ON WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER 2014!  

Students from Willow Glen schools will be able to meet Gigante after 7:30am and before they walk to school.   This year's participating schools include: 

• Willow Glen Elementary, 
• River Glen School,
•  Ernesto Galarza Elementary, 
• Hammer Montessori School 
• Sacred Heart Nativity School.

As always, we'll be happy to give GIGANTE a spirited team welcome to the Willow Glen neighborhood!  Thanks to the SF Giants for always helping-out with the rally, building excitement for the National Safe Routes to School event!  WALK & BIKE to SCHOOL 2014!

Click here to visit our WALK TO SCHOOL web page (at this website).

Additional thanks to the sponsors of Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village 

that make this and other events possible.