REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action to Adopt the Vision Zero Action Plan and Approve a Recommendation for a New Position in the Department of Public Works to Support Vision Zero Plan Implementation
Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Santa Clara received Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant funding in 2024 to develop a Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan (Plan). The Plan sets a goal to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries on city roadways by 2050. The Plan analyzes eight-year historical collision data within Santa Clara, develops a High-Injury Network to identify locations with a high concentration of collisions, and includes a list of priority projects, program and policy recommendations. The Plan was developed with robust community participation and feedback including the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), Senior Advisory Commission, Parks & Recreation Commission, Youth Commission, and City Council. Adopting the Plan will represent the City’s commitment to end traffic fatalities and severe injuries in Santa Clara and allow the City to pursue future grant opportunities for transportation safety infrastructure improvements.
Additional budget, staffing, and consultant support will be necessary to carry out all recommendations in the Plan. It is requested that Council consider adoption of this Plan and the approval of one Senior Civil Engineer position addition in the Department of Public Works (DPW) to implement, monitor, and track progress citywide. It is anticipated that as the program unfolds and capital funding is obtained, additional DPW staff may be necessary to implement projects. Additional resources would also be necessary to implement other aspects of the Plan, such as traffic enforcement and education efforts. Future funding recommendations will be provided during the annual budgeting process.
BACKGROUND
Vision Zero is a strategy aimed at eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while also promoting safe and healthy mobility for everyone. Developing and implementing a Vision Zero Plan is listed as an objective in both the City’s Bicycle Plan and Pedestrian Master Plan. In December 2023, the City Council accepted FHWA SS4A grant funding in the amount of $450,000 to establish the Plan. The City Council approved an agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for professional services on May 28, 2024 and the Plan kicked off in July 2024.
This effort involves extensive community engagement and an in-depth citywide safety analysis to identify the most frequent types, locations, severity, and demographics of collisions in Santa Clara. This effort was coordinated extensively between various City departments, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), Senior Advisory Commission, Youth Commission, and Parks & Recreation Commission. As part of the Plan development process, a Vision Zero Working Group was formed comprised of city staff, one BPAC representative, and external stakeholders including the County of Santa Clara, VTA, the Cities of San Jose and Sunnyvale, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, the Santa Clara Unified School District, Santa Clara University, and Mission College. On September 29, 2025, a draft Plan was released for public review and comment. At the October 27, 2025 BPAC meeting, BPAC reviewed and recommended the draft Plan to City Council for adoption. On November 18, 2025, staff presented the draft Plan during a Council Study Session.
DISCUSSION
A comprehensive Vision Zero program includes both engineering infrastructure improvements and program-related improvements, such as updating existing policies and standards, improving public education, conducting more enforcement, and improving emergency response.
The Plan (Attachment 1) and the full appendices are available on the project webpage: santaclaraca.gov/VisionZero <http://santaclaraca.gov/VisionZero>. The five main chapters include:
Chapter 1, About Vision Zero:
This chapter discusses the Vision Zero program framework, establishes a Vision Zero Vision Statement and Guiding Principles (Attachment 2), identifies the need for a Vision Zero effort in Santa Clara, and presents a benchmarking analysis of existing City and Santa Clara County plans and policies, as well as state and federal policies.
The Plan sets a goal to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries on city roadways by the year 2050. In compliance with the SS4A program requirements, the Plan must include a public commitment to this goal via resolution (Attachment 3).
Chapter 2, Community Engagement:
This chapter documents the project’s robust engagement process with the public, City Committees and Commissions, and collaboration within the Vision Zero Working Group. The primary goal of engagement was to gather input about traffic safety concerns, including near-misses and community priorities in Santa Clara.
The project team used a variety of communication channels, including the following:
• Dedicated project webpage
• Project email and telephone hotline
• Bilingual project flyers
• Project street signs
• Project bus shelter advertisements
• Safety item giveaways
• Educational video about distracted driving
• City newsletters and social media channels
• Three online surveys with an interactive web map (received over 1,300 survey responses)
• Four community workshops
• Six pop-up events
• Five BPAC meetings
• Presentation at the Senior Advisory Commission, Youth Commission, and Parks & Recreation Commission
With these outreach strategies, the Plan incorporates meaningful engagement with communities to understand their top concerns and their ideas for improving traffic safety. The community strongly voiced the need for improved roadways and enhanced citywide traffic enforcement.
Chapter 3, Safety Analysis:
Understanding the patterns and causes of traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries, also known as KSI (Killed or Severely Injured) collisions, is essential to achieving Vision Zero.
Historical Collision Data: This chapter presents an in-depth analysis of eight years of historical collision data (2016-2023), including collisions that occurred on City roadways, County of Santa Clara expressways (in Santa Clara), and the State-maintained roadway El Camino Real (in Santa Clara).
Key findings include:
• Between 2016 and 2023, there were a total of 7,934 reported collisions, 51 fatal and 139 severe injury collisions (Attachment 4). That is an average of over 6 traffic fatalities and 17 severe injuries annually.
• People walking and biking are most vulnerable. Bicyclists and pedestrians were involved in approximately 35% of all KSI collisions in Santa Clara, compared to 7% when looking at all collision severity types (Attachment 4).
• Historical collision data showed an overall increasing trend of KSI collisions in Santa Clara (Attachment 4).
High-Injury Network: A geospatial identification of higher-risk corridors and intersections was developed, also known as a High-Injury Network (HIN). The HIN identifies the intersections and roadways throughout Santa Clara which experienced a disproportionate number of injury collisions and fatalities. A map of the HIN and list of the HIN roadways and intersections is included in Attachment 5. It is important to note that approximately 60% of all collisions in the study period were concentrated in 16% of the roadways within City limits, including County expressways and El Camino Real. This forms the HIN, which will guide decisions on where to focus safety efforts across Santa Clara. The estimated cost to improve the HIN is $350 million in 2025 dollars.
Collision Profiles: The analysis also identified the top nine collision profiles with key trends among KSI collisions. Each profile focuses on a specific collision pattern identified as a priority concern and is paired with proposed targeted safety countermeasures designed to address the underlying risks.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Collisions
• Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs
• Speeding Drivers
• Night-time Collisions
• Pedestrian-involved collisions on the sidewalk or shoulder
• Vehicles Running a Red Light or Stop Sign
• Turning Vehicle Conflicts at Intersections
• Collisions Involving Persons Under the Age of 18 or Over 60 Years of Age
• Pedestrian Improper Crossing or Not Yielding Right-of-Way
Chapter 4, Countermeasure Toolbox:
This chapter includes an engineering toolbox with over 50 state and federal recommended safety countermeasures to improve transportation safety. It serves as a valuable resource for the City to help identify and implement solutions tailored to location-specific safety challenges for current and future transportation projects. The toolbox is organized into the following six categories with some example countermeasures as shown in Table 1 below:
Table 1: Countermeasure Toolbox Categories and Examples
|
Category |
Examples |
|
Roadway Segment Improvements |
Improved lighting, road diet |
|
Intersection Design Improvements |
Close slip lane, high visibility crosswalk |
|
Traffic Signal Improvements |
Protected left-turn signal, leading pedestrian interval |
|
Signs & Markings |
Retroreflective backplates, advanced stop bars |
|
Speed Management |
Speed feedback signs, speed humps |
|
Bicycle & Pedestrian Improvements |
Separated bike lanes, curb extensions |
Chapter 5: Action Plan to Reach Zero Deaths and Severe Injuries:
Achieving the goals of Vision Zero requires not only a strong policy foundation and data-driven strategies but also a clear and actionable roadmap for implementation. This chapter summarizes the recommended projects, programs, and policy updates for the Santa Clara Vision Zero Program and outlines the implementation approach and funding strategies. Due to the current workload and priorities, it is expected that additional budget, staffing, and consultant support will be necessary to manage the implementation of the Plan.
A. Priority Corridors:
The Plan identified the top ten priority project locations/corridors along the HIN based on a combination of factors, including high concentrations of collisions, the severity of injuries, and community feedback on safety concerns. Table 2 (below) summarizes the priority corridor list. The estimated cost to improve these top ten priority project locations is $93 million in 2025 dollars.
Table 2: Priority High Injury Network Corridors
(Ranked by KSI Collisions per Average Daily Traffic Volume)
|
Ranking |
Priority HIN Corridor |
Limits |
|
1 |
Monroe Street |
Lawrence Expressway - Bowers Avenue and San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail - Scott Boulevard |
|
2 |
De La Cruz Boulevard |
Central Expressway - Poplar Street |
|
3 |
Coleman Avenue Tri-level Interchange |
De La Cruz Boulevard (Central Expressway - Lafayette Street) and Coleman Avenue (Reed Street - the City of San Jose limit line) |
|
4 |
Scott Boulevard |
Monroe Street - El Camino Real |
|
5 |
Homestead Road |
Lawrence Expressway - Kiely Boulevard |
|
6 |
Stevens Creek Boulevard * |
Lawrence Expressway - Kiely Boulevard |
|
7 |
El Camino Real ** |
Halford Avenue - Scott Boulevard |
|
8 |
Pruneridge Avenue |
Lawrence Expressway - Kiely Boulevard |
|
9 |
Scott Boulevard |
Bowers Avenue - San Tomas Expressway |
|
10 |
Montague Expressway *** |
Lick Mill Boulevard - US 101 |
* Shared roadway with City of San Jose.
** Roadway operated and maintained by the State of California (Caltrans).
*** Roadway operated and maintained by the County of Santa Clara.
B. Programs and Policy Updates:
The Plan includes a comprehensive list of non-engineering actions and strategies that help achieve zero traffic fatalities and severe injuries. Each action has a proposed implementation timeline, performance measure, and key partners. The recommendations are presented in relation to following six categories:
(1) Vision Zero Program: Overall program initiative, planning and budgeting
(2) Safer People: Safety education and driver behavior
(3) Safer Speeds: Speed management and enforcement
(4) Safer Streets: Roadway design and engineering
(5) Safer Vehicles: New vehicle technology and legislation, and impaired driving prevention
(6) Post-Collision Care: Emergency response tracking
Key near-term program and policy updates include:
• Update the City’s existing Council approved (1999) Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy and Program.
• Formalize and conduct multi-department post KSI-collision reviews to discuss potential safety improvements (if any).
• Pursue grant funding opportunities for priority projects and focus enforcement and education efforts on the HIN.
• Incorporate Vision Zero principles into City communications, staff training, data collection, and design review.
• Continue the collaboration of Vision Zero Working Group.
C. Progress and Transparency: This section identifies next steps to implement the priority projects and programs, discusses potential funding sources, and identifies how to measure the Vision Zero program progress.
October 27, 2025 BPAC Meeting
On October 27, 2025, the City’s BPAC reviewed the draft Plan and voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt the Vision Zero Action Plan, with minor textual edits.
November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session
City Council and public members provided comments on the draft Plan and program implementation at the November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session. Staff provided written responses to questions raised at this meeting (Attachment 6), and the Plan has been updated as needed to address comments raised.
Next Steps
Upon Council approval of the Plan and with approval of an additional staff position in the Department of Public Works, staff will begin acquiring the necessary resources to advance the Plan. As funding becomes available, staff will begin implementing the Vision Zero programs and projects recommended in the Plan. Staff will also continue to pursue outside funding (e.g., grants, regional funding) to assist with implementation and will develop an annual report to monitor and track progress on the recommendations in the Plan. Additionally, Staff will complete a comprehensive update to the Vision Zero Action Plan in five years or as necessary to meet grant requirements.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The actions being considered do not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment. Projects to improve transportation safety that may occur as a result of the Plan are subject to future discretionary approvals and appropriate environmental review for such projects will be completed in the future.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are significant funding needs to support the Vision Zero Program, which are currently not funded. Initial implementation of the Vision Zero Program cost is separated into three categories as described below. This report recommends the addition of 1.0 Senior Civil Engineer (Category 1) in the Department of Public Works to oversee the program while the remaining two categories are unfunded.
(1) Vision Zero Program Public Works Staffing: It is recommended that the City Council approve the addition of one Senior Civil Engineer in the Department of Public Works as an initial position addition to oversee and implement the Vision Zero program. This position will pursue grant and regional funding for the priority projects identified in the Plan, update design standards and reviews with a Vision Zero focus, lead interdepartmental post-collision reviews, manage non-engineering program activities such as traffic safety outreach and educational activities, plan and lead traffic-related audits and public meetings, maintain and analyze collision data, track program progress, provide annual reports, update the Plan as necessary, and serve as the key staff liaison to lead the Vision Zero Working Group and coordination and collaboration with all external stakeholders. It is anticipated that additional staff positions will be required if the City is successful in obtaining grant and/or regional funding for infrastructure improvements. Staff will return to City Council for approval of additional staff resources when necessary.
The total annual compensation for the Senior Civil Engineer position in FY 2026/27 is estimated at $311,000. Funding in FY 2026/27 and future years will be allocated as part of the annual budget process. Salary and Benefit costs for the remainder of FY 2025/26 will be absorbed in the General Fund.
(2) Capital Infrastructure Projects: The Plan recommended a total of $350 million (2025 dollars) of capital improvements on the citywide HIN. In the near term, the Plan recommended $93 million (2025 dollars) of priority capital improvements on the top ten HIN priority corridors (described in Appendix C of the Plan). These improvements are currently unfunded. It should be noted that these priority capital projects are targeted for implementation over the next 10 years, depending on funding availability. Staff will continue to pursue outside funding (e.g., grants, regional funding) to assist with capital infrastructure improvements.
(3) Program Improvements and Consultant Support: The Plan recommended a list of Program improvements such as a comprehensive update to the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program, updates to design standards, on-going consultant service support for proposed Vision Zero educational and outreach programs, Vision Zero staff trainings, and creation and maintenance of an online dashboard. Staff estimates the unfunded need for the remaining program improvements and consultant support at $923,000 in year 1 (after plan adoption), and $190,000 (2025 dollars) annually after year 1. For the first five years of the program, this is estimated at $1.68 million.
Additional budget, staffing, and consultant support will be necessary in the subsequent
implementation phases to carry out the recommendations in the Plan. This includes positions within the Police Department to enhance traffic enforcement citywide. The Police Department and Human Resources are currently focused on filling vacant and unfrozen positions approved by the City Council in the current FY 2025/26 budget.
COORDINATION
This item was coordinated with the Finance Department, Police Department, City Attorney’s Office and City Manager’s Office.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Adopt a resolution to approve the Vision Zero Action Plan in substantially the form presented.
2. Do not adopt the Vision Zero Action Plan and provide further direction to staff regarding the Vision Zero Action Plan.
3. Authorize the City Manager to take any and all actions necessary to modify, edit, update, and maintain the Vision Zero Action Plan, and to implement elements of the Plan that do not require Council approval.
4. Approve the addition of 1.0 Senior Civil Engineer position in the Department of Public Works to begin implementation of the Vision Zero Program.
5. Do not approve recommended position in the Department of Public Works and delay implementation of the Vision Zero plan until a position can be added.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Take action to approve Alternatives 1, 3, and 4 as presented in staff’s report as follows:
1. Adopt a resolution to approve the Vision Zero Action Plan in substantially the form presented.
3. Authorize the City Manager to take any and all actions necessary to modify, edit, update, and maintain the Vision Zero Action Plan, and to implement elements of the Plan that do not require Council approval.
4. Approve the addition of 1.0 Senior Civil Engineer position in the Department of Public Works to begin implementation of the Vision Zero Program.
Staff
Reviewed by: Craig Mobeck, Director of Public Works
Approved by: Jovan Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Vision Zero Action Plan
2. Vision Zero - Vision Statement and Guiding Principles
3. Resolution Adopting the City of Santa Clara Vision Zero Action Plan
4. Historical Collision Data and Trends
5. Map and List of High-Injury Network Corridors and Intersections
6. Responses to Questions and Comments from the November 18, 2025 City Council Study Session