January 11, 2008

Tragic accident on Capitol Expressway demonstrates need for safety measures

Dave Cortese
San Jose City Council

A tragic accident occurred recently. when a pedestrian was fatally hit while attempting to cross Capitol Expressway near Quimby Road. The pedestrian, an unidentified woman in her fifties, was crossing Capitol Expressway outside of the pedestrian walkway when she was struck by a motorist traveling eastbound. (The San Jose Mercury News identified the woman as Estella Bacong, 50, of San Jose.)

Sadly, this is the third auto-pedestrian fatality since 2001.  There have been three automobile to automobile fatalities since 2001.

Capitol Expressway ranges from four to six lanes and runs east to west.  The portion of Capitol Expressway from Highway 87 to Highway 680 is owned and maintained by Santa Clara County.  Frustratingly, it was not designed to accommodate safe pedestrian travel – little or limited sidewalks, limited trail interface, zero landscaping.  Coupled with it serving as a major arterial to and from the Evergreen, Silver Creek and Pleasant Hills areas of San Jose, this roadway is not pedestrian-friendly. 

In 2009 the VTA will begin construction of a light rail extension from Alum Rock to Eastridge Mall, along Capitol Expressway. Long overdue, this project will vastly improve pedestrian usage as a significant part of the transportation plan involves installing boulevard-style walkway.  In the meanwhile, we must continue to pursue all possible means of making this expressway safe and encourage safe pedestrian practices.  My office is working with the San Jose Police Department on a targeted effort to reach pedestrians and educate them on how to safely cross these busy intersections.  I am asking my counterparts at the County Board of Supervisors and the San Jose City Manager to revisit what roadway improvements can be implemented to further increase safety, such as multilingual signage, pedestrian countdown boxes, etc, as well as to provide a report on what enforcement activities can be undertaken on their part.  It is my hope that this morning’s event will be the final cautionary tale and that local government and the community can work together to bring such tragedies to an end.

For more information please contact the District 8 Council Office at (408) 535-4908.