Cyclist, pedestrian killed in separate collisions in San Jose – NBC Bay Area

A cyclist and a pedestrian were killed in separate accidents in San Jose on Sunday, a setback for the city as it strives to make streets safer for everyone.

The pedestrian, a woman, was struck by a car near Snell Avenue and Capitol Expressway around 10:30 p.m. According to police, she was in a crosswalk but crossed the street on a red light.

Earlier in the day, a cyclist was killed on Jackson Avenue near Bambi Lane when he reportedly crossed into the road and was struck by a pickup truck.

In both cases the drivers remained on site.

These are the 32nd and 33rd traffic fatalities in San Jose this year.

“Road safety is truly a shared responsibility,” said police spokeswoman Stacie Shih. “Whether you're in a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle or on foot, everyone is responsible for obeying the rules of the road. Yesterday was a tough day. Lives were lost and at the end of the day, families are grieving the loss of their loved ones.”

Data shows that traffic fatalities in San Jose hit a record high in 2022, but have since declined. At this point in 2022, 23 pedestrians have been killed. This year, the number is 12.

The Jackson crossing near the Interstate 680 exit where the cyclist died is one of many areas where the city says it has made improvements to increase traffic safety. These include high-visibility crosswalks, green bike lanes and what it calls a fast-build median island with reflective yellow borders at the traffic lights. The city calls it fast-build because it takes only 18 months to complete, as opposed to the usual five years for a more traditional median.

All of this is part of the city's Vision Zero plan.

“The aims are to slow down car traffic and make pedestrians and cyclists more visible. To make it clearer where they should be on the road or pavement. To make it clearer where they should cross the road and to make it easier to see them when they cross the road,” said Colin Heyne, information manager at the Department for Transport.

The city said it will wait to see the results of the last five years before it can say there is a trend. City officials also said they plan to hire a new staff member to analyze intersections and look at the numbers before and after improvements to see what is working and what still needs to be done.