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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

San José Transportation and Environment Committee Special Meeting - May 19, 2025

City Council — Monday, May 19, 2025

BodySan Jose, California

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, May 19, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:43:07

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:07

Well, let's take the roll call.

0:08

Let's start there.

0:10

Salas.

0:12

Compos.

0:13

Present.

0:14

Ortiz.

0:14

Here.

0:15

Vice Chair Foley?

0:16

Here.

0:17

Chair Cohen.

0:18

You have a quorum.

0:24

Oh, he's actually in the building, so he won't be here long.

0:28

Or it won't take him long.

0:30

Um first item is to review the work plan.

0:33

They we are dropping the regulation of oversized vehicle parking status per rules.

0:41

I need a motion to approve.

0:45

Second.

0:46

Any discussion?

0:47

If not, then all in favor, or we need to we need to vote.

0:52

Thank you.

0:55

Okay.

0:56

Moving on to the committee reports.

0:59

I had a personal request that we move Vision Zero first so that I can be here for present night.

1:07

Because this meeting time was changed.

1:08

I'm backed up with another appointment in 1030.

1:11

And it's very important that I hear the Vision Zero presentation, particularly since this is the first time that we've had this presentation since it's been full vision zero has been folded into this uh committee.

1:26

So I don't know that I need a motion to modify the agenda.

1:33

Um I think I can just move to the item and call it ahead.

1:38

Okay.

1:39

And I see they're already in the box, ready for that.

1:42

So this is the Vision Zero Action Plan Status Report.

1:45

And John, why don't you kick us off?

1:47

Sure, thank you, Vice Chair.

1:49

Uh as always, safety is our first priority, so it's good to be put at number one.

1:55

Good morning, Vice Chair and Committee members.

1:57

I'm John Risto, Director of the Department of Transportation.

2:01

And we are really pleased to be able to have the opportunity to present the Vision Zero traffic safety status report.

2:08

With me today is Jim Bittner, division manager in our traffic safety division, Sergeant Moja, police department in the back row.

2:18

And Jordan Moldov.

2:20

First time we were able to have that the representative from the bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee.

2:25

So in February, as you mentioned, we adopted the 2025 Vision Zero Action Plan with current staffing and resources, and we're strategizing efforts across five priority areas.

2:37

We're going to talk about all that today.

2:39

I'll turn the presentation over to Jim Bittner to walk through the presentation.

2:44

Thank you.

2:46

Thanks, John.

2:47

Uh good morning, Transportation and Environment Committee members.

2:51

I'm Jim Bittner, Acting Division Manager at the Traffic Safety Division, overseeing the Vision Zero, the quick build, school safety, neighborhood traffic management, and walk and roll programs.

3:02

Thank you for the opportunity to present the latest Vision Zero traffic safety status report.

3:09

Next you gave it to me.

3:19

Today I will be providing a brief overview of the new Vision Zero Action Plan and the trends in traffic fatalities and severe injuries over the past 10 years.

3:29

The 2025 Vision Zero Action Plan approved by council in February, continues to structure its efforts around five priority action areas that are listed here.

3:38

These were reintroduced in the previous action plan and ensure a clear and strategic approach in improving traffic safety.

3:47

The near-term priorities utilizing existing staffing and resources will focus on improving data accessibility, enhancing collaboration, and supporting safety efforts through structured before and after studies and streamlining processes to create user-friendly public-facing dashboards available on multiple languages.

4:09

Collaborate with other jurisdictions on data sharing.

4:12

For example, we are proactively working with the City of Santa Clara's vision new Vision Zero program, as well as the Federal Rail Administration on this effort to ensure that all traffic collisions are incorporated into the city, including shared jurisdictions.

4:29

Provide timely reporting of findings from before and after quick build corridor project evaluations, lower speed limits through engineering and traffic surveys where appropriate.

4:49

Implement the automated enforcement programs with speed, safety, and red light running cameras.

5:00

When we refer to the term KSI, this means all traffic crashes that resulted in people being killed or seriously injured.

5:04

But as we talk about these numbers, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that they're not more than just simple data points.

5:09

Each number represents human beings.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Transportation Safety████████████████████████████████████████40%

Public Safety███████████████15%

Parking██████████████14%

Technology and Innovation████████8%

Climate and Environment███████7%

Procedural████4%

Public Works███3%

Environmental Regulation██2%

Illegal Dumping██2%

Summary of Proceedings

San José Transportation and Environment Committee Special Meeting - May 19, 2025

The Transportation and Environment Committee (T&E) of the San José City Council held a special meeting on Monday, May 19, 2025, at 9:00 AM in Council Chambers. The committee reviewed the work plan, received status reports on Vision Zero, the City Infrastructure Strategy, and vehicle concerns/service improvements, and heard presentations from staff and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). All agenda items were accepted unanimously.

Work Plan

The committee approved dropping the Regulation of Oversized Vehicle Parking Status Report (CC 25-0711) as recommended by the April 2, 2025 Rules and Open Government Committee. The motion passed without objection.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public provided comment during the meeting, either on agenda items or during open forum.

Vision Zero Action Plan Status Report

Staff presented the 2025 Vision Zero Action Plan, adopted by Council in February 2025, focusing on five priority action areas. Over the past decade, traffic fatalities peaked at 65 in 2022 but declined to the lowest levels since 2017. Pedestrians and bicyclists represent 11% of all crashes but 42% of KSI (killed or seriously injured). Pedestrian KSI declined from a peak of 85 in 2019 to 67 in 2024; bicyclist KSI was 36 in 2024. Speed-related KSI peaked at 79 in 2020 and fell to 58 in 2024; red-light-running KSI fell from 35 in 2021 to 26 in 2024.
DOT completed 376 safety projects in the first nine months of FY 2024-25, including quick-build corridors and intersections. Grant applications totaled $11 million, with about $50 million in federal grant agreements in progress, including $21 million in Safe Streets for All funding. School safety efforts included 31 access and circulation studies, 282 upgraded high-visibility crosswalks, and a goal of upgrading all 1,800 crosswalks within three years. The Walk and Roll program reaches about 90 schools (35% of K-12).
Automated enforcement: Council adopted the Speed Safety System Use Policy on Oct. 29, 2024; a five-year speed safety system is estimated to cost $15.4–17.9 million. Red-light cameras will be activated at four intersections in summer 2025.
Jordan Moldow, representing BPAC, presented recommendations, including lowering speed limits to 25 mph or lower on unprotected bikeways, prioritizing walking and bicycling in mode priority, preferring protected bikeways on high-speed/volume roads, revising complete streets standards to reflect a Safe Systems approach, allowing crosswalk activation after a green light, and preventing waste haulers from placing bins in bike lanes.
Committee members expressed support for the program and asked questions about school project prioritization, crosswalk upgrades, and speed limit reductions near schools. Staff noted that a prior 15 mph school zone pilot showed negligible speed changes and that changing roadway character is necessary.

City Infrastructure Strategy Quarterly Status Report

Staff reported Q3 FY 2024-25 results: 12 workstreams finished green, 6 yellow, and 1 red. The red workstream was the Climate Smart Plan update, whose stakeholder engagement had not yet begun; the Council date was pushed to fall 2025, with the next T&E update in October 2025.
The city and PG&E are negotiating an implementation agreement for North San José and downtown San José electrification, with a goal to execute by end of June. A stormwater permit progress update was approved, and a memorandum of agreement with Valley Water for creek cleanup was finalized.
A draft of the FY 2025-26 infrastructure strategy was presented, graduating the Climate Smart workstream and removing the municipal electric utility and citywide building electrification workstreams. Chair Cohen expressed concern about losing focus on electrification goals; staff said they would relay feedback.

Vehicle Concerns and Service Improvements Status Report

The new SJ311 Vehicle Concern Service automatically triages vehicle-related reports to five city departments. In the first three quarters of FY 2024-25, the system received 28,453 reports, prevented 2,232 duplicate submissions, identified 186 stolen vehicles, and transferred 1,565 requests between departments.
DOT received 81% of reports. The Abandoned Vehicle Program closes most cases within 10 days. The Extended Parking Stay (EPS) program received over 14,000 reports, on pace for 19,000; issued 897 citations and 18 tows (tow rate less than 1%). Housing received 3,245 lived-in vehicle reports, closed roughly 45%, and provided outreach to 331 occupants.
The OLIVE program (oversized and lived-in vehicle enforcement) launched January 2025. At 18 sites, 97% of vehicles voluntarily relocated; 167 lived-in RVs/trailers and 514 personal vehicles were identified, with 10 RVs/trailers and 12 personal vehicles towed. A citywide inventory is expected by June 2025 to identify the next 25 sites.
Committee discussion included concerns about the 72-hour parking rule being gamed, the need for proactive enforcement, and the frustration of residents with ineffective no overnight parking signs. Staff referenced the Manager's Budget Addendum (MBA 4), which would add about $1 million annually for expanded parking compliance, including an expired registration team and enhanced OLIVE. Councilmember Salas cited specific problem areas (28th Street, Columbus Park). Councilmember Campos called for an equity-centered, community-led approach. Chair Cohen suggested proactive mailers and clearer feedback language. There is no ordinance requiring personal RVs to be parked off-street.

Key Outcomes

Work Plan: Approved dropping the oversized vehicle parking status item.
Vision Zero Action Plan Status Report: Motion to accept carried 5-0.
City Infrastructure Strategy Quarterly Status Report: Motion to accept carried 5-0.
Vehicle Concerns and Service Improvements Status Report: Motion to accept carried 4-0 (Vice Mayor Foley absent).
No public comments were received at any point during the meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 10:47 a.m.

Meeting Transcript

Well, let's take the roll call. Let's start there. Salas. Compos. Present. Ortiz. Here. Vice Chair Foley? Here. Chair Cohen. You have a quorum. Oh, he's actually in the building, so he won't be here long. Or it won't take him long. Um first item is to review the work plan. They we are dropping the regulation of oversized vehicle parking status per rules. I need a motion to approve. Second. Any discussion? If not, then all in favor, or we need to we need to vote. Thank you. Okay. Moving on to the committee reports. I had a personal request that we move Vision Zero first so that I can be here for present night. Because this meeting time was changed. I'm backed up with another appointment in 1030. And it's very important that I hear the Vision Zero presentation, particularly since this is the first time that we've had this presentation since it's been full vision zero has been folded into this uh committee. So I don't know that I need a motion to modify the agenda. Um I think I can just move to the item and call it ahead. Okay. And I see they're already in the box, ready for that. So this is the Vision Zero Action Plan Status Report. And John, why don't you kick us off? Sure, thank you, Vice Chair. Uh as always, safety is our first priority, so it's good to be put at number one. Good morning, Vice Chair and Committee members. I'm John Risto, Director of the Department of Transportation. And we are really pleased to be able to have the opportunity to present the Vision Zero traffic safety status report. With me today is Jim Bittner, division manager in our traffic safety division, Sergeant Moja, police department in the back row. And Jordan Moldov. First time we were able to have that the representative from the bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee. So in February, as you mentioned, we adopted the 2025 Vision Zero Action Plan with current staffing and resources, and we're strategizing efforts across five priority areas. We're going to talk about all that today. I'll turn the presentation over to Jim Bittner to walk through the presentation. Thank you. Thanks, John. Uh good morning, Transportation and Environment Committee members. I'm Jim Bittner, Acting Division Manager at the Traffic Safety Division, overseeing the Vision Zero, the quick build, school safety, neighborhood traffic management, and walk and roll programs. Thank you for the opportunity to present the latest Vision Zero traffic safety status report. Next you gave it to me. Today I will be providing a brief overview of the new Vision Zero Action Plan and the trends in traffic fatalities and severe injuries over the past 10 years.

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