Quick Take
A new report from the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury says that had the county implemented a widely adopted traffic safety approach, it might have avoided some pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The grand jury recommends that the county adopt an action to implement the Vision Zero strategy to eliminate pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
With Santa Cruz County roads taking drivers and pedestrians to scenic views of the Pacific Ocean and majestic redwood forests, it can be hard to imagine those same thoroughfares can carry a dark side.
Overall, Santa Cruz County is among the worst 20% of California’s 58 counties for pedestrians either killed and seriously injured in traffic collisions.
The cities of Watsonville and Santa Cruz ranked fourth and 29th, respectively, among similarly sized cities statewide for the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured in 2023, according to the most recent data from the state’s Office of Traffic Safety. That year, 27 pedestrians in Watsonville and 21 pedestrians in Santa Cruz were either killed or seriously injured.
Had the county implemented a widely adopted traffic safety approach, some of those injuries and fatalities might not have occurred, according to a Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury report released June 25.
The grand jury has released five other reports on topics including the county’s behavioral health system and its housing crisis. A state-mandated, volunteer-led government watchdog, the grand jury is composed of 19 members who carry out annual investigations on regional challenges.
Its pedestrian safety report, titled “Walking in the County of Santa Cruz is not for the faint of heart. Can Vision Zero help?”, focused on unincorporated Santa Cruz County and the cities of Watsonville and Santa Cruz. The grand jury narrowed its investigation to those areas as they have the majority of pedestrians killed or injured and they’ve started pursuing the Vision Zero strategy. Vision Zero is a nonprofit campaign, originating in Sweden, that helps communities implement a strategy to eliminate fatalities and severe injuries from traffic incidents.
The cities of Scotts Valley and Capitola weren’t included in the grand jury report, as Scotts Valley has very few traffic-related pedestrian deaths or injuries, while Capitola is interested in pursuing the strategy but hasn’t yet, according to the report.
The grand jury investigated three areas Vision Zero considers objectives: safer roads, safer speeds and safer people. The group evaluated how traffic infrastructure is designed and maintained, how law enforcement approaches pedestrian safety and the educational efforts around pedestrian safety.
The grand jury recommended the county board of supervisors direct the public works department to work with the health services agency to publish Vision Zero action plans, to develop a policy to better identify sidewalk hazards and publish a policy to financially support homeowners with sidewalk repairs by June 1 of next year.
It also recommends that supervisors direct the Health Services Agency to provide more public outreach to educate pedestrians on how to walk safely and how to report sidewalk hazards and faded paint by March 1, 2027.
While the grand jury found that local jurisdictions already use some Vision Zero-recommended practices, such as using traffic accident data and community input to improve infrastructure, it said that local cities are lacking metrics and timelines to further prevent pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
They also lack enforcement of sidewalk hazard violations and faded paint markings, and rely only on complaints from the public through an online portal, which few residents are aware of, according to the report.
As for speeding vehicles, the grand jury said that local officials have started making improvements to narrow roads and separate bicycle and pedestrian lanes – which both serve to reduce speeds and increase distances between vehicles and pedestrians. However, the grand jury added that if Vision Zero action plans are adopted by the cities, new funding sources through the Department of Transportation will be available to make more improvements.
To read the full report, click here.
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