Description

I am writing this letter after yet another near-accident this morning that occurred at the intersection of High Street and San Jose Avenue, which I witnessed directly while walking with my 3rd grader to Otis Elementary. In what is at least a weekly occurrence in this area, a driver was speeding northbound on High Street, hit their brakes to a screeching halt to avoid an accident, with horns blaring from other drivers. This happened at 8:10am, with the intersection full of parents and students on their way to school to start their day. Accidents within a two block radius of this intersection are a regular occurrence, and there appears to be no effort by the city to improve these conditions.

This intersection is a hub of our childrens’ daily commute in the East End, with Lincoln Middle School directly to the east, Otis Elementary directly to the south, and Encinal Market and shopping center two blocks to the north. At 8am on a typical weekday there are kids and parents walking or biking on both streets. Commuters from Bay Farm use High Street as a shortcut to avoid Fernside in the morning and afternoon, and often speed to catch the stoplight at Encinal Street and High. On the subject of stoplights and stop signs, there are none between Encinal and Otis on all of High Street, crating a half mile drag strip. Drivers approach the stoplight at Encinal like it's the start of a race down High Street, and reach peak acceleration by the time they get to San Jose, right where there is a marked crosswalk without crossing lights. There is no time for a driver to slow down in time for a pedestrian. Not coincidentally this is where accidents or near-accidents often occur on High Street. I regularly wait on that corner and watch cars speed past me until at least one observant driver stops to let me cross. Usually I have to wait for no cars to come at all. Even when in the crosswalk, the intersection is not safe. Last Halloween, a driver nearly hit my daughter crossing High Street because they failed to pay attention. Luckily, I was paying attention.

High Street is a narrow 2 lane road that most people treat as a major thoroughfare like Fernside or Broadway. The difference is that those streets have more space, dedicated bike lanes, better street markings, and illuminated crosswalks. They have radar speed signs, and a more regular police presence. My car was sideswiped in a hit and run while parked on High Street in December, and I regularly get honked at by cars just for getting in or out of my car, inconveniencing a driver who had to slow down for an actual human being. Two lines of AC transit buses also run up and down High Street, trying to keep up with their schedules, along with a host of delivery and freight trucks coming in and out of Bay Farm.

The most concerning aspect of this situation is that the East End in general and High Street specifically is devoid of any plans for safe street improvements as part of the Transportation Capital Project Works Program. This a massive oversight and a failure of proper city planning. Residents in this area have taken it upon themselves to post “Slow Down” signs in the hopes of improving conditions after an accident a block away last month. A few years ago, the city conducted an audit of the area and found that most traffic stayed within 5mph of the 25mph speed limit, and decided they didn’t need to do anything to address traffic dynamics in the area. But even at 20mph, a car hitting a person results in a 10% fatality, by your own data. Fatality rates and speed limits don't make this an acceptable situation to the parent of that 10%. These are real people, with real lives, and deserve more than to have their safety deprioritized.

Since there is no plan to improve this street from the city, here are 10 ideas you need to think about:

1. Have a police or traffic enforcement presence posted during commute hours to ensure the safety of our students. One volunteer crossing guard at Otis Elementary is not enough.
2. Mark all crosswalks in yellow reflective paint and provide pedestrian crossing lights 3. Add visibly marked crosswalks on every intersection on High Street 4. Paint visible lane lines, with Boats’ dots or rumble strips, on both sides of both lanes up and down High Street 5. Make High Street from Otis to Santa Clara a shared road for both autos and cyclists 6. Add 25mph limit speed bumps throughout High Street 7. Add stop signs or stop lights at all crosswalks 8. Make San Jose a permanent Slow Street for cyclists and pedestrians 9. Do not allow trucks larger than delivery cargo vans to use High street for non-local passage 10. Completely shut off High Street from any non-local, thru traffic

Inaction by the city will only result in more community self-policing, and continued conflict among pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
It is only a matter of time before a major tragedy happens here, and I hope the city does more to prevent it ahead of time.