DATE: March 24, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT
Title
Work Session: Traffic Safety Initiatives and Response
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That the City Council receives the traffic safety recommendations, and provides feedback and direction on implementation.
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SUMMARY
In response to the three recent pedestrian fatalities that occurred on the City’s High Injury Network (HIN) in the month of February, Staff recommends the following short-term actions to be taken to enhance safety on the HIN:
Immediate Action at High Injury Network Intersections
Deploy quick-build design and implementations at the top ten HIN intersections rated by crash severity. Evaluate “No Right Turn on Red” restrictions and Leading Pedestrian Interval signal timing for crosswalks. Leading Pedestrian Intervals increase pedestrian safety by having crosswalk walk signals activate before concurrent green signals for traffic. This allows pedestrians to establish themselves and take space in the crosswalk before vehicular traffic can do so, leading to increased visibility and reduced pedestrian and vehicle conflicts.
Create a Vision Zero Crash Response Program
Public Works Transportation Division and Police Department staff will be assigned to the Vision Zero Crash Response Program (VZCRP) and will be tasked with responding to fatal and severe injury collisions by taking the following steps after a serious or fatal collision has occurred: (1) Review the results of the police investigation, (2) Perform a field visit of the collision, (3) Make recommendations on potential quick-build fixes, and (4) Publish data and results, as appropriate. Develop a Vision Zero website that will have Vision Zero statistics and resources publicly available.
Raise Awareness of Street Safety Practices
The Police Department in coordination with Youth & Family Services Bureau (YFSB) and the Case Management & Mental Health Linkages Team (LINK) will collaborate with a network of community agencies and service providers that support vulnerable populations. Through partnership with these providers, the Police Department can deliver targeted pedestrian safety education directly to individuals most at risk. Police personnel, in coordination with LINK, will conduct periodic pedestrian safety briefings and educational outreach at shelters, transitional housing programs, and community resource centers. Community engagement and education regarding traffic and pedestrian safety will also take place in the form of local community meetings and youth program interaction.
Deploy Focused Traffic Enforcement
The Police Department will implement a focused, data-driven enforcement initiative to improve pedestrian safety within identified High-Injury Network corridors. Enforcement resources will be strategically deployed in designated HIN corridors during peak collision periods within an operational period of three months, starting in March and ending in June. Enforcement methods will include high-visibility patrol, radar/LIDAR speed enforcement, motorcycle deployments, and periodic decoy pedestrian operations, while metrics will be utilized to measure progress throughout the initiative to determine if the objectives of improving traffic and pedestrian safety, and reducing collisions are effective. A report to Council will be submitted to highlight progress and adjust where needed.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I Staff Report
Attachment II High Injury Network
Attachment III Transportation Division Project List
Attachment IV Tennyson Rd & Baldwin St Quick-Build
Attachment V Traffic Safety Presentation