Smashed minivan adds to San Jose neighborhood’s frustration, concerns about safety: Roadshow

Q: Recently, a drugged driver smashed into our minivan, which was parked on the street in front of our house. Thank God no one was hurt, even the driver.

Several neighbors mentioned that this had happened in front of their homes, too. There was also a young boy killed in an accident while riding his bike down our street (Hicks Avenue in Willow Glen) a few years back.

Does the city track incidents like this to see if certain streets need safety improvements, and if so, what the criteria are for taking action? The city’s overall traffic fatality numbers are abysmal, so whatever they are doing is clearly NOT working.

Neighbors have asked for speed bumps on our street to try to slow down drivers, but I was told we weren’t allowed to have them, because fire trucks from the Minnesota Avenue station use Hicks to get where they are going. Are we fated to live on an unsafe street forever because of this?

Rachel W., San Jose

A: I can only offer a glimmer of hope. The city looked at data from 2017-2022 and found that crashes along the corridor appear to be relatively low, compared to other areas, in between signalized intersections, though there was one severe injury due to the driver hitting a fixed object on Curtner at Hicks. The city installed a radar speed feedback sign on Hicks in 2020.

There are no planned safety projects here at this time, but San Jose is taking a closer look at intersection design to see if there are any upgrades they might be able to implement.

Residents with traffic safety concerns should email [email protected].