Sunnyvale officers wish to tighten site visitors security close to Truthful Oaks Park after a number of pedestrian deaths over the previous six years.
Truthful Oaks Avenue has develop into a prime security concern for residents and cyclists. The closely traveled highway poses a direct hazard to pedestrians and bicycles, with speeds as much as 40 mph and restricted crosswalks. On Jan. 18, a automobile struck and killed a pedestrian crossing Truthful Oaks Avenue close to the Columbia Avenue intersection. Since 2019, Sunnyvale has had 11 deadly collisions between a automobile and bicycle or pedestrian, three of which have occurred on Truthful Oaks Avenue between Taylor and Ahwanee avenues.
District 5 Councilmember Richard Mehlinger, who represents this stretch of Truthful Oaks Avenue, stated the town must reconfigure the realm for security, particularly given what number of companies, parks and different institutions line the road.
“A lot of the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on that street simply isn’t up to snuff,” Mehlinger informed San José Highlight. “This poses a real accessibility barrier and a real safety challenge.”
In 2023, Mehlinger launched a research problem to revamp Truthful Oaks Avenue, but it surely was deferred on account of lack of assets. This yr, he reintroduced the identical mission in segments, beginning with finding out potential indicators, site visitors circles and different security options at three intersections alongside Truthful Oaks Avenue: Balsam, Taylor and McKinley avenues.
All six of his fellow councilmembers are cosponsoring the research, which can be mentioned in depth on the metropolis’s Feb. 13 listening to on research points. Nonetheless, metropolis staff have advisable deferring the research, citing an absence of assets within the Division of Public Works.
Mehlinger stated he hopes the sign research can be much less of a elevate in comparison with the total road redesign, which is extra complete.
“Getting (these studies) prioritized and funded is going to be a lot of work but for now … the lowest hanging fruit is trying to get those intersections signalized,” he informed San José Highlight.
The stretch of Truthful Oaks Avenue between Taylor and Ahwanee avenues is especially harmful. There are few crosswalks that cross Truthful Oaks Avenue, and the road separates a big residential neighborhood from the newly renovated Truthful Oaks Park. Mehlinger stated he typically sees individuals jaywalk.
Valérie Suarés, chair of the Sunnyvale Neighbors of Arbor together with La Linda board, stated she additionally sees a number of jaywalking as a result of residents in her neighborhood need to stroll about half a mile to get to the closest crosswalk at both Duane Avenue or Wolfe Street. She stated the pace restrict on Truthful Oaks Avenue ranges from 40 to 30 mph, making it much more harmful to bike on or cross and not using a sign.
There have been 19 deadly automobile collisions in Sunnyvale since 2019, and 11 collisions by which a pedestrian or bike owner died, marked right here in crimson. The inexperienced marker exhibits the place a pedestrian died on the intersection of Truthful Oaks and Columbia Avenue on Jan. 18. (Screenshot from Google MyMaps by way of San José Highlight)
Bryce Beagle, who chairs the town’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Fee, stated Truthful Oaks Avenue is likely one of the metropolis’s most unsafe streets for cyclists and pedestrians. There’s restricted infrastructure for bikes, with vehicles and bicycles sharing a lane for giant stretches.
Truthful Oaks Avenue has a number of unmarked crosswalks the place the pedestrian has proper of method, however there aren’t any indicators or indicators to gradual vehicles down. Beagle stated these are notably harmful on streets with greater pace limits.
“The road needs to be designed with the behavior of people in mind. You can’t force behavior, but you can force infrastructure to conform to behavior,” Beagle informed San José Highlight.
Suarés stated site visitors security is prime of thoughts for many close by residents. There are a number of colleges close by, reminiscent of Columbia Center Faculty and Bishop Elementary Faculty, together with Columbia and Truthful Oaks parks, so Suarés stated dad and mom and youngsters recurrently take care of these questions of safety.
To Suarés, it’s one other evident instance of the inequity in companies offered to North Sunnyvale residents, alongside shedding among the space’s solely grocery shops.
“The number of public safety things for pedestrian and bicycles are far more predominant south of the train tracks than in the north,” she informed San José Highlight. “I’m not really sure why, but we live on the wrong side of the train tracks.”
This story initially appeared in San José Highlight.
