City takes steps to address safety after several crashes

Q

We had a terrible car accident on Coe Avenue in Willow Glen on Labor Day. Two weeks later there was another accident. Over the past few years, and decade, we have had an abnormal number of accidents in one particular stretch of Coe between Clintonia and Bird avenues.

We honestly fear that someone will be seriously injured or killed one day in an accident in this area.

We are asking the city for traffic calming. A stop sign, bump-outs, street trees, speed bumps, chicanes, anything would help.

I fear that one day we will look back at these exchanges with the city and wish we could have done something to prevent a tragedy.

— Kyle Graham, San Jose

A

The city is aware of the history of crashes along that stretch of Coe and has met with residents about this issue. Though the crashes over the past five years have, fortunately, not resulted in fatalities or reported severe injuries, the city nonetheless understands concerns about the sheer number of crashes and fears of serious injury or a fatality in a future accident.

To assess the problem and determine solutions, the city recently collected traffic speed and volume data in this area along Coe. The traffic studies did not show a speeding problem along Coe, which is what most traffic calming measures would address.

Still, the city wants to do what it can to prevent crashes. They installed an edge line to narrow the lanes, which helped further reduce speeds. They recently extended that edge line around the corners at the intersection of Coe and Clintonia, and filled in the space between the edge line and curb with white reflective hatching, making the narrowed lanes more clearly visible from all directions.

Next, the city is planning a similar treatment at the intersection of Coe and Bird.

In that location, they also will use reflective hatching and retro-reflective markers along the edge line, with the intention of slowing traffic that is turning right onto Coe from southbound Bird.

It is worth noting that several of the crashes involved drivers under the influence, which is a problem that requires more than traffic engineering alone can address.

Q

Some streets in my San Jose neighborhood were repaved recently by MCK Services Inc., including Meridian Avenue between Curtner and Hamilton avenues, and the Southwest Expressway between Bascom Avenue and Interstate 280. The asphalt coating on Meridian south of Hamilton is barely thick enough to slightly smooth old bumps, not eliminate them.

How much did these jobs cost per mile? And how long are they supposed to last before the next repaving? Was this a good use of public funds, or penny wise and pound foolish?

— Bruce Manuel, San Jose

A

Paving jobs often go through a series of steps. A thin layer of pavement may be applied first, and a thicker layer later. When work is entirely done, inspectors check the smoothness of the pavement and fill potholes, as needed, to complete it.