Staff Report with attachments
PREPARED BY: Ying Smith
Transportation and Mobility Manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Finance Director, and Parks and
Public Works Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 4/19/2022 ITEM NO: 16
DATE: April 14, 2022
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Local Roadway Safety Plan:
a. Adopt the Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP);
b. Direct Staff to Develop the Short-Term Improvements and Pursue Grant
Funding; and
c. Direct Staff to Proceed with All Implementation Actions in the LRSP
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Town Council:
a. Adopt the Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP);
b. Direct staff to develop the short-term improvements and pursue grant funding; and
c. Direct staff to proceed with all implementation actions in the LRSP.
BACKGROUND:
The Town received a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant in an amount of
$72,000 from Caltrans in 2019 to prepare a Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP). The preparation
of a LRSP is included in the Town’s adopted FY 2020/21-2024/25 Capital Improvement Program
(CIP). Preparing a LRSP provides an opportunity to address unique roadway safety needs in Los
Gatos while contributing to the success of the State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan.
The LRSP will help establish a framework and process for identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing
roadway safety improvements on local and rural streets. In addition, completing the LRSP will
allow the Town to be eligible for applying and receiving HSIP grant funds in future years.
The Town began the LRSP process in January 2021. A progress report, summarizing the major
completed tasks, was provided at the December 21, 2021 Town Council meeting. The progress
report provided a high-level summary of the completed tasks of Vision Statement, Existing
PAGE 2 OF 3 SUBJECT: Local Roadway Safety Plan Final Report DATE: April 14, 2022
BACKGROUND (continued):
Conditions and Safety Data Analysis, Collision Profiles, Community Engagement, and Priority
Emphasis Areas.
DISCUSSION:
The project team, made up of Town and Fehr & Peers staff, completed the remaining LSRP tasks
in early 2022. Following is a high-level summary of the remaining tasks:
1. Walk Audit: The project team prepared the draft countermeasures in the Priority Emphasis
Areas and held a walk audit with the Safety Partners on January 25, 2022. The Safety
Partners included representatives from the Los Gatos - Monte Sereno Safe Routes to
School, the Los Gatos Union School District, the Complete Streets and Transportation
Commission (CSTC), Santa Clara County Public Health Department, the Los Gatos-Monte
Sereno Police Department, and the Town Traffic Engineer. The group walked through two
of the five Priority Emphasis Areas, Tait Avenue and Los Gatos Boulevard between Bennett
Way to Garden Lane, discussed the draft countermeasures and provided input. Following
the walk audit and consideration of the input, the project team modified the
countermeasure recommendations and included them in the Final Report.
2. Countermeasures: The project team prepared a toolkit of countermeasures to address the
safety patterns. The most relevant countermeasures were recommended for the priority
emphasis areas. These recommendations will help guide future design and engineering to
develop projects to improve safety at key locations.
3. Final Report: The report (Attachment 1) documents the process and results of all tasks,
including technical data and detailed analysis. Most importantly, the report includes
recommendations for implementation actions, phasing, and sequencing. Implementing
countermeasures, projects, and programs identified in the LRSP typically requires an
ongoing, long-term commitment from the Town. To facilitate the evaluation and
prioritization of funding, it can be desirable to consider the implementation of safety
projects through different time horizons.
Near-term implementation efforts may focus on low-cost improvements which can be
constructed within five years. These may include systemic improvements such as upgraded
traffic signal heads, signal phasing and timing modifications, high-visibility crosswalk
markings, and pedestrian visibility enhancements which can be pursued as discrete projects
or as system improvements at multiple locations.
PAGE 3 OF 3 SUBJECT: Local Roadway Safety Plan Final Report DATE: April 14, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
Medium-term implementation goals may target the pursuit of progressive safety elements
such as those identified in the Countermeasure Toolbox in all capital projects and
infrastructure planning efforts already underway. This could include emphasizing safety in
projects such as the Highway 17 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing, Winchester Boulevard
Complete Streets, Blossom Hill Road Safety Improvements, and Los Gatos Boulevard
corridor improvements.
Long-term goals may focus on further emphasizing safety in future planning and design
efforts, including updates to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and all capital
improvement projects. Future efforts for the Town to consider may also include formalizing
a Town pledge to Vision Zero strategies and values. An ongoing commitment to the
inclusion of off-site safety improvements in conjunction with development projects would
allow the Town to capitalize on additional funding opportunities.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the Town Council adopt the Local Roadway Safety Plan and direct staff to
proceed with the implementation actions in the Final Report.
COORDINATION:
The Complete Streets and Transportation Committee (CSTC) has received regular updates on
the project progress and provided input. At its March 10, 2022 meeting, the CSTC reviewed the
progress report on the new tasks completed since January this year.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachment:
1. Local Roadway Safety Plan Final Report
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
Los Gatos
Local Roadway Safety
Plan
Prepared for:
The Town of Los Gatos
April 2022
SJ21-2070
Attachment 1
Acknowledgements
The 2022 Los Gatos Local Roadway Safety Plan was funded through a Highway Safety Improvement
Program (HSIP) grant provided by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
Input was sought from Town Staff and the Safety Partners, an advisory group consisting of key
stakeholder groups and the community. Fehr & Peers assisted Los Gatos in preparing the plan.
Town of Los Gatos Staff
Ying Smith, Transportation and Mobility Manager
Michael Vroman, Senior Civil Engineer
Matt Morley, Former Parks and Public Works Director
Timm Borden, Interim Parks and Public Works Director
Safety Partners
Gregory Borromeo (Los Gatos Police Department)
Patty Charles (Los Gatos -Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School Executive Director)
Karen Briones (Los Gatos Union School District)
Alisa Campbell (Santa Clara County Public Health Department)
Wendy Riggs (Los Gatos -Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School Coordinator)
Robert Buxton (Los Gatos Complete Streets and Transportation Commissioner)
Bill Ehlers (Los Gatos Complete Streets and Transportation Commissioner)
Jeffrey Thompson (Los Gatos Complete Streets and Transportation Commissioner)
Consultant Team
Steve Davis, PE
Meghan Mitman, RSP2I
Taylor Whitaker
Michelle Chung
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1
What is an LRSP? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Safe System Approach ............................................................................................................................................................... 1
Background .................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
About Los Gatos ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Safety Partners .............................................................................................................................. 4
Los Gatos Complete Streets and Transportation Commission .......................................................................... 4
Los Gatos Unified School District .................................................................................................................................. 4
Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School .................................................................................................... 4
Los Gatos Police Department ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Vision .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Vision Statement .......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Supporting Efforts......................................................................................................................... 7
Plans .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Engagement and Safety Partners .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Infrastructure Improvements ................................................................................................................................................... 9
Safety Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 12
Collision Data Source ...............................................................................................................................................................12
Collision Analysis Summary ...................................................................................................................................................13
Injury Collision Trends .....................................................................................................................................................13
Injury Collision Severity ...................................................................................................................................................13
Injury Collisions by Type .................................................................................................................................................13
Primary Injury Collision Factors ....................................................................................................................................14
Systemic Analysis .......................................................................................................................................................................18
Collision Risk Profiles and Countermeasure Toolbox ............................................................. 20
Collision Risk Profiles ................................................................................................................................................................20
Collision Risk Profiles .......................................................................................................................................................20
Safety Countermeasures Toolbox........................................................................................................................................21
Engineering countermeasures ......................................................................................................................................22
Safe System Elements ......................................................................................................................................................22
Non-Engineering countermeasures ...........................................................................................................................23
Emphasis Areas ............................................................................................................................ 25
Initial Selection of Emphasis Areas .............................................................................................................................25
Walking Audits ....................................................................................................................................................................27
Final Emphasis Areas and Countermeasure Suggestions ..................................................................................28
Priority Emphasis Areas ...................................................................................................................................................28
Funding, Implementation, and Evaluation Strategies ............................................................. 32
Funding Opportunities .............................................................................................................................................................32
Funding Sources .................................................................................................................................................................32
Implementation Strategies .....................................................................................................................................................33
Oversight & Accountability............................................................................................................................................33
Coordination & Partnership ..........................................................................................................................................33
Funding ..................................................................................................................................................................................34
Communication ..................................................................................................................................................................34
Implementation Actions, Phasing & Sequencing .................................................................................................34
Evaluation Strategies ................................................................................................................................................................35
Update the Plan Regularly .............................................................................................................................................35
Identify Target Metrics and Measure Goal Performance in Priority Areas .................................................35
Continue Engagement of Stakeholders ....................................................................................................................35
Appendix A: Survey Responses .................................................................................................. 36
Appendix B: Los Gatos Existing Conditions Presentation ....................................................... 37
Appendix C: KSI Collisions .......................................................................................................... 38
Appendix D: Countermeasure Toolbox .................................................................................... 39
Appendix E: Emphasis Area Cutsheets ...................................................................................... 40
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Introduction
The Town of Los Gatos is committed to prioritizing safety and eliminating traffic related deaths and
serious injuries on Town streets. This Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) proactively evaluates locations
with relatively high numbers of collisions (hot spots) and collision trends throughout the Town to identify
the proven countermeasures that can be implemented through the current and future Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP). This section defines the Safe System approach, an idea which underlies this LRSP,
and provides background on Los Gatos.
What is an LRSP?
The LRSP requires each State to have a Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) that establishes goals,
objectives, and emphasis (or challenge) areas to reduce traffic accident fatalities and serious injuries on all
public roads using a data-driven approach. An LRSP provides a framework for agencies to proactively and
systematically identify and address unique safety issues prevalent in their jurisdiction by facilitating
partnerships with key stakeholders in the community.
The LRSP process offers an opportunity to learn from many perspectives – from collision hot spot data to
feedback on perceived safety issues to contextual patterns in hot spot data that may be similar
systemically – to develop and prioritize a list of meaningful and grant-competitive safety projects for Los
Gatos. This study also sets up a process for multi-disciplinary collaboration, transparency, and
accountability that can last far beyond this effort.
Safe System Approach
Each day, people are killed and seriously injured on California roads. Crashes can irreversibly change the
course of human lives, touching victims, their families and loved ones, and society as a whole. Through
collective action on the part of all roadway system stakeholders—from system operators, vehicle
manufacturers, to law enforcement and everyday users—the Town of Los
Gatos can move to a Safe System approach that anticipates human
mistakes, with the goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries for
all road users.
A Safe System acknowledges the vulnerability of the human body –
in terms of the amount of kinetic energy transfer a body can
withstand – when designing and operating a transportation
network to minimize serious consequences of crashes.
According to the World Health Organization, the goal of a Safe
System is to ensure that if crashes occur, they “do not result in serious
human injury.” A Safe System approach addresses the five elements of a
safe transportation system – safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads, and post-crash care –
in an integrated manner, through a wide range of interventions.
The Safe System approach to road safety started internationally as part of the Vision Zero proclamation
that, from an ethical standpoint, no one should be killed or seriously injured on the road system. It is
founded on the principle that people make mistakes, and that the road system should be adapted to
anticipate and accommodate human mistakes and the physiological and psychological limitations of
humans. Countries that have adopted the Safe System approach have had significant success reducing
highway fatalities, with reductions in fatalities between 50 and 70%.
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the Road to Zero Coalition’s Safe System Explanation
and Framework articulate that to anticipate human mistakes, a Safe System seeks to:
• Separate users in a physical space (e.g., sidewalks, dedicated bicycle facilities) • Separate users in time (e.g., pedestrian scramble, dedicated turn phases) • Alert users to potential hazards • Accommodate human injury tolerance through interventions that reduce speed or impact force
Creating a Safe System means shifting a major share of the responsibility from road users to those who
design the road transport system. “Individual road users have the responsibility to abide by laws and
regulations” and do so by exhibiting due care and proper behavior on the transportation system. While
road users are responsible for their own behavior, this is a shared responsibility with those who design,
operate, and maintain the transportation network: including the automotive industry, law enforcement,
elected officials, and government bodies. In a Safe System, roadway system designers and operators take
on the highest level of ethical responsibility. This report is organized by the Safe System key principles to
encompass the full range of safety stakeholders and facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration and
accountability. This is consistent with the methods outlined in the United States Department of
Transportation (USDOT) National Roadway Safety Strategy and the Caltrans commitment to a Safe System
approach to achieving Vision Zero goals.
Background
This is the first comprehensive safety plan for the Town of Los Gatos, but builds upon numerous related
transportation planning and engineering efforts. This LRSP provides the Town and its major stakeholders
with a blueprint for a safe and more accessible community. This LRSP will assist the Town when it applies
for safety infrastructure funding sources. For example, the Cycle 11 Highway Safety Improvement Program
(HSIP) funding cycle anticipated in 2022 will require an LRSP for an agency to be eligible to apply for
funds.
About Los Gatos
The Town of Los Gatos is home to approximately 33,529 people (2020 US Census). The Los Gatos
population is 72.3% white, 14.8% Asian, 7.9% Latino, 0.9% Black and 4.1% two or more races.
Approximately 3.8% of Los Gatos residents are in poverty, with a town-wide median income of $155,860.
Safety Partners
The Town has engaged stakeholders in representing a Safe System Approach of shared responsibility to
address the unique traffic safety concerns in Los Gatos. The assembled team of Safety Partners for the
LRSP included representatives from the Town of Los Gatos along with the following local and regional
partners:
Los Gatos Complete Streets and Transportation Commission
The Complete Streets and Transportation Commission advises the Town Council in matters pertaining to
current trends and experiences in enhancing all modes of travel; integration of Town transportation
infrastructure, including bike and pedestrian pathways, with neighboring jurisdictions; reviewing relevant
grant applications; prioritizing transportation around schools, including enhancing safe routes to schools
efforts; reviewing and updating Town master plans, including the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and
others as relevant; and related topics as directed by the Town Council or requested by Town staff; and
review policies and procedures on streets and trails.
Los Gatos Union School District
The Los Gatos Union School District serves children grades kindergarten through eighth grade and
provides equitable learning opportunities.
Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School
Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Safe Routes to School (SR2S) is a nonprofit organization that provides education
and encouragement efforts to eight schools in the Town of Los Gatos and the City of Monte Sereno. SR2S
strives to build a collaborative community to support students using alternative transportation (walking,
biking, skating and scooting) to and from school with the goal to encourage lifelong healthy habits and
create a more livable environment for the community.
Los Gatos Police Department
Police officers provide valuable insight into behaviors they observe on the roads, and are important
partners in safety conversations so that jurisdictions can focus enforcement time on behaviors most
closely associated with injuries and fatalities. The Los Gatos police department also leads and participates
in traffic safety education programs.
Police Department Meeting
The project staff and police department met on April 2, 2021 to discuss recent safety efforts in Los Gatos
and hotspot collision locations, a few key findings were:
1. Feedback on Key Collision Locations
a. Focused on major corridors, particularly Highway 9 (Los Gatos Saratoga Road) at busier
cross streets
b. Turns along Los Gatos Boulevard and Winchester Boulevard c. School crossing locations
2. Common Collision Factors
a. Left turns, speeding, right of way violations
b. Distractions
3. Unreported Collision Occurrences
a. Bicyclist crashes not involving vehicles
b. Crashes occurring in rural/mountain areas
Vision
At the start of the LRSP preparation, the project team developed the Los Gatos road safety vision
statement and solicited feedback from the Complete Streets and Transportation Commission. The
commissioners acknowledged that ending all traffic-related deaths and injuries on Town streets was a
challenging and aspirational vision, but to work towards anything less (e.g. reduce fatalities and serious
injuries) did not feel appropriate because even one fatality or serious injury was unacceptable. Therefore,
the project team determined that the Town should strive to eliminate traffic-related deaths and injuries to
create a strong vision which shifts roadway safety culture in the Town, while also acknowledging the
challenging nature of achieving the vision. The Town’s vision statement sets a concise yet comprehensive
goal to guide the Town’s investments in infrastructure, education, emergency services, and enforcement.
Vision Statement
“The Town is fully committed to ending traffic-related deaths and injuries on Town streets. By taking a
Safe System approach, the Town will use targeted enforcement, improved street design, and public
collaboration to achieve meaningful results in preventing traffic collisions.”
Supporting Efforts
In recent years, the Town’s efforts to improve safety have been most visible through a range of plans and
programs. This section describes plans, engagement, and recent efforts supporting safety within the Town
of Los Gatos.
Plans
Draft General Plan 2040: This planning effort reflects the Town’s strong commitment to environmental
sustainability, community health, and social equity. During the preparation of the 2040 General Plan, the
community requested that the General Plan address climate change and increased risk of wildfire; lessons
learned from the COVID-19 pandemic; and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The update process was
also tasked with planning for new homes for all incomes to meet the Town’s fair share of the Bay Area’s
housing need.
Traffic Around School Study 2016: Implemented to help make walking and bicycling the preferred mode of
travel to school. It identifies preferred corridors for walking and bicycling to school and forms plans to
improve these corridors. It identifies priority corridors for improvements and evaluates existing education
and enforcement of safe bicycle riding and driving behaviors.
2018 Student Travel Survey: This survey was designed to better understand students’ and parents’
opinions of what improvements would be beneficial to the students who walk or bike to school and what
concerns they might have about using these modes. Parents of elementary through high school students
were given the questionnaire.
Connect Los Gatos Community Engagement Plan: Adopted by Town Council in 2021, outlines resources
that will be used to engage with the community to communicate about active transportation projects that
will provide improved connectivity. The goal of the plan is to promote community knowledge and
engagement of these projects.
2020 Community Survey: To engage with the community and raise awareness of the Connect Los Gatos
Plan, the survey was opened to the public in 2020. The goal was to provide a more robust background to
the Bike and Pedestrian Plan Update through improving understanding of how residents currently use the
streets and hearing suggestions for improvements for safer bicycling and walking.
2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Update: The Plan identifies the needs for bicycle and pedestrian
improvements and prioritizes the projects through a public process. It includes a benchmarking analysis of
programs, policies, and practices for pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The Plan focuses on improving
walking and bicycle safety and accessibility and was adopted by the Town Council in 2020.
Engagement and Safety Partners
Community engagement for this project followed the framework identified in the Connect Los Gatos
Community Engagement Plan adopted by Town Council in March 2020. A key step in addressing safety
issues is hearing from local officials, key stakeholders, and the general public. Working through a
collaborative process, the Town can create effective solutions by considering and coordinating with the
general public, engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency service strategies. The project team
deployed the following tools that are most appropriate for the Town-wide planning effort:
• Project website www.losgatosca.gov/ConnectLG with all relevant project background information,
updates, and staff contact information • Regular updates at the Complete Streets and Transportation Commission meetings, open to the public. • Formed a group of Safety Partners for input and participation • Farmers’ Market pop up event • Online community survey
Safety Partners Meeting
Los Gatos held several safety partners meetings to discuss the safety vision, priorities, existing conditions,
and draft collision risk profiles in Los Gatos.
LRSP Survey Report
The Town has been continually working to develop better programs for safe, more connected streets. This
program, “Connect Los Gatos,” is a public engagement initiative that promotes bicycle and pedestrian
projects that are all part of a big picture effort to provide connected multi-modal routes through the
Town. These projects improve current conditions for pedestrians and cyclists by providing sidewalks,
enhancing bike paths and lanes, and incorporating smart street safety design features. The survey was
online from November 4, 2021 to December 3, 2021. The main objectives the Town sought to achieve
through the LRSP Survey were:
• Gaining a greater understanding of the problems people face on the roads
• Learning how the community travels
• Building support for the Connect Los Gatos Programs
• Helping inform the LRSP development
Figure 1 highlights the primary safety concerns of the residents who completed the survey, while the
broader survey responses are shown in Appendix A. The respondents provided valuable feedback on top
priorities as well as specific locations of concern. Some of the top priorities listed by residents were
improving intersection crossing safety, reducing speeding, enforcing stop signs, and improving biking and
walking infrastructure. Los Gatos Boulevard, Blossom Hill Road, Lark Avenue, Highway 9 (Los Gatos
Saratoga Road) and Kennedy Road were identified as key locations of concern.
Figure 1: What is your primary safety concern in Los Gatos?
Farmers' Market Pop Up Event
Information pertaining to the development of the LRSP was shared at the Los Gatos Farmers’ Market on
September 26, 2021 and October 17, 2021. The first event focused on sharing findings of the collision and
safety analyses conducted for the LRSP, while the second invited community members to provide
feedback on identified collision trends, potential priority locations, and their areas of concern.
Walking Audits
Walking Audits were held on January 25, 2022 with the Los Gatos stakeholders. The group walked along
two Emphasis Area locations in Los Gatos. The group discussed potential countermeasures on Los Gatos
Boulevard from Los Gatos Almaden to Lark Avenue and Tait Avenue from Los Gatos Saratoga to Main
Street.
Commission Meetings
Throughout the Los Gatos LRSP project, a series of presentation were given to the Commission. The
presentation materials delivered in these meetings are included in Appendix B.
Infrastructure Improvements
In recent years, the Town has completed several bicycle and pedestrian projects that were designed to
support safety within the Town:
Blossom Hill Road Class IV Bike Lanes
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Speeding
Crossing the Street
Youth Safety
Walking
Bicycling
Driving
Other
Senior Safety
Lighting
Mobility Limitations
What is your primary safety concern in Los
Gatos?
The first Class IV bike lanes were implemented in 2019, providing separated lanes to improve bicycling
safety for school students and other bicyclists on Blossom Hill Road west of Los Gatos Boulevard.
Highway 9/Massol Avenue Intersection Safety Improvements
The project upgraded the flashing beacon with a Rectangular Rapidly Flashing Beacon (RRFB), added
"shark teeth" yield lines at the eastbound and westbound approaches, constructed landscaped median
island on Highway 9 (Los Gatos Saratoga Road) west of the intersection, installed green bike lanes on
Highway 9 (Los Gatos Saratoga Road), and added street lights. The improvements were completed in
2021.
Winchester Boulevard Class IV Bike Lanes
This project, completed in 2021, installed separated Class IV bike lanes between Blossom Hill Road and
Albright Way, removed one of the northbound lanes, and constructed ADA curb ramps at multiple
intersections.
The Town continues to design and implement bicycle and pedestrian improvements in a program
branded as Connect Los Gatos. These projects were identified and prioritized in the 2020 Bicycle and
Pedestrian Master Plan Update. The program will expand access and improve safety for key community
destination points. Connect Los Gatos is aimed at making it easier and safer for all to bike and walk in Los
Gatos. This section provides details on the Connect Los Gatos projects under design.
Los Gatos Creek Trail Connector to Highway 9 (Los Gatos - Saratoga Road)
This project will construct bike and pedestrian connectors to the Los Gatos Creek Trail at Highway 9. Two
connectors will be constructed to allow access to the trail from both the north and south sides of Highway
9. A pedestrian and bicycle bridge crossing the creek will be constructed along the south side of Highway
9. On the north side of Highway 9, the existing unofficial path will be replaced with an ADA-accessible
Class I path to connect Highway 9 and the Trail.
Highway 17 Bicycle Pedestrian Overcrossing Project
This project will provide a separate bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing (BPOC) just south of the existing
Blossom Hill Road bridge. This bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing aims to improve bicycle and
pedestrian safety and comfort across Highway 17, improve safe biking and walking routes to school, and
promote more biking and walking trips.
Shannon Road Complete Streets
The current plan for the project is to construct sidewalks and Class II bike lanes on both sides of Shannon
Road between Los Gatos Blvd. and Cherry Blossom Lane. The project would involve installation of a new
curb, gutter, sidewalk, Class II bike lanes, and ADA curb ramps on Shannon Road within the project limits.
The work scope may also include some modification to the storm drainage system.
Kennedy Road Sidewalk and Class II Bike Lane
The Town is considering options to improve this street to provide a safer environment for all. The
improvements will include new sidewalks, new Class II bike lanes on both sides, ADA upgrade at curb
ramps, and intersection improvements for better biking and walking.
Winchester Boulevard Complete Streets
This project will provide Complete Streets improvements, including removal of an automobile lane,
separated bike lanes, new or upgraded pedestrian crossings, new sidewalks to fill the gaps, sidewalk
improvements, pedestrian refuge islands, ADA upgrade to all bus stops, landscaped median islands, and
intersection modifications for safer biking and walking. By making Winchester Boulevard better
accommodating of users of all ages and abilities traveling by a variety of modes, the Town hopes to
improve safety and connections for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians and to encourage more bicycling
and walking trips.
Blossom Hill Road Traffic Calming
This project focuses on a stretch of Blossom Hill Road between Camelia Terrace and Hillbrook Drive.
Although the Town has invested significantly in this roadway, most recently with upgrades to the
pedestrian crossing at Hillbrook Drive and prior to that with improvements along Blossom Hill Park
frontage, the roadway continues to experience heavy use. Residents have expressed concerns about
vehicle speeds and driver behavior in this corridor with special focus on the school and park as areas
where children use the sidewalks, crosswalks, and pathways.
Safety Analysis
Chapter 2 of Caltrans’ Local Roadway Safety Manual (LRSM) instructs safety practitioners to “consider a
wide range of data sources to get an overall picture of the safety needs.” Crash data and contextual data
were collected and analyzed as part of this plan, as well as anecdotal input from Town staff, Safety
Partners, and community stakeholders.
This section summarizes the results of a broad collision analysis for the Town of Los Gatos, which will
inform the project prioritization and countermeasures for the Town. This analysis considers injury
collisions from 2015 through 2019 available through the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS).
TIMS was created by the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC). It reports injury
collisions utilizing data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS).
Collision Data Source
Collision data for the five-year period spanning January 1, 2015 through December 30, 2019 – the five
most recent years of data available at the time the project was undertaken – was collected from TIMS.
TIMS provides geocoded access to California crash data using the SWITRS data for injury and fatal
collisions. SWITRS is collected and maintained by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and contains all
crashes that were reported to CHP from local and governmental agencies, including collision and citation
reports collected by public safety officers in the Town. The California LRSM recommends the use of TIMS
data for collision analysis, and the Safe System Approach focuses on specifically analyzing and eliminating
collisions where involved parties are killed or seriously injured (known as KSI collisions).
In general, collision databases have been found to have certain reporting biases, including:
• Collision involving people walking, on bicycles, or on motorcycles are less likely to be reported
than collisions with people driving • Property damage collisions are less likely to be reported compared to more severe collisions • Younger victims are less likely to report collisions • Alcohol-involved collisions may be under-reported • Race, income, immigration status, and English proficiency may also impact reporting, but there is
limited research on these factors
Bicycle data, roadway characteristic data (centerlines, medians), sidewalk data, crosswalk data, and
intersection control data were collected for the project through analysis of aerial imagery and verification
of field conditions.
The collected data was spatially referenced and mapped in ArcGIS. Each collision was assigned to the
nearest intersection within 250 feet, or the nearest roadway segment if no intersection was within range. A
raw count of crashes was calculated for each intersection and roadway segment, and intersection
collisions were separated by signalized and unsignalized locations. Roadway characteristic data were
similarly spatially referenced as part of the analysis.
Collision Analysis Summary
This section summarizes the 5-year collision history for injury collisions occurring in the Town of Los Gatos
from 2015 through 2019.
Injury Collision Trends
Approximately 481 injury collisions occurred within public right-of-way between January 1, 2015 through
December 30, 2019 according to reported data. Of these, 135 (28%) involved a pedestrian or bicyclist. A
total of 31 Collisions resulted in a fatality or severe injury. Figure 2 displays all Townwide collision activity
for the five-year study period using data processed through TIMS.
Figure 2: Collision Severity by Mode
Injury Collision Severity
Vulnerable road users, including bicyclists and pedestrians, are more susceptible to fatal or severe injury
collisions. Broken down by collision mode, motor vehicle collisions accounted for 66% of injury collisions
but 53% of fatal collisions. By contrast, pedestrian-involved collisions made up 8% of injury collisions but
12% of fatal collisions. Bicycle collisions made up 26% of injury collisions and 35% of fatal collisions. The
bicycle and pedestrian collisions are disproportionately high in Los Gatos.
Injury Collisions by Type
Collision types describe how a crash is reported by law enforcement based upon the parties who were
involved and generally describes the way contact was made between the involved parties, shown in Figure
3.
• Vehicle-Pedestrian collisions are any crash involving both a motor vehicle and a pedestrian. • Vehicle-Bicycle collisions are any collision involving both a motor vehicle and a bicyclist.
• An Overturned collision is any type of crash that results in at least one vehicle rotating 90 degrees
or more side-to-side or end-to-end (also known as a “rollover.”)
5
10
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019CollisionsPedestrian Injury Collisions
Collisions KSI - Ped Collisions
10
20
30
40
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019CollisionsBicycle Injury Collisions
Collisions KSI - Bike Collisions
50
100
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019CollisionsVehicle Injury Collisions
Collisions KSI- Vehicle Collisions
• A Head-on collision is between two vehicles where the primary point of contact was the front of both vehicles. • Hit Object collisions are between a vehicle and non-vehicular object in or near the roadway. • Sideswipe collisions are between vehicles, typically traveling the same direction, where the
primary point of contact was the side of the vehicles. • A Rear-end collision is between two vehicles traveling in the same direction where the front of
one vehicle contacts the rear of another. • Broadside collisions are between vehicles on conflicting paths where the front of one vehicle
contacts the side of another. • Unknown/Other collisions describe any reported collision that was not consistent with one of the
primary collision types above or where collision type was not coded into the collision database.
Figure 3: Collision Severity by Type
The primary injury collisions by type in Los Gatos are Broadside, Rear End, and Hit Object.
Primary Injury Collision Factors
Primary Collision Factors (PCFs) describe the primary reason(s) for a crash reported by law enforcement
based upon citations or violations of the California Vehicle Code (CVC) shown in Figure 4.
• Auto Right-of-Way (R/W) Violation refers to a driver infringing upon the right-of-way of another
party in violation of CVC 21800-21809. • Improper Turning identifies a collision where a party made a left or right turn in violation of CVC 22100-22113. • Unsafe Speed refers to a collision where a party is identified to be traveling at a speed exceeding
that deemed reasonable or prudent for conditions in violation of CVC 22350.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Collisions KSI
• Traffic Signals and Signs describes a party disobeying a traffic control device such as a traffic signal or roadside sign in violation of CVC 38280-38302. • Following Too Closely refers to a driver of a motor vehicle driving behind another vehicle at
distance that is too short to be reasonable or prudent for conditions in violation of CVC 21703. • Driving Under Influence identifies a collision where a driver is found to have been operating a vehicle while impaired by a substance – typically alcohol – in violation of CVC 23152. • Unsafe Lane Change describes a collision where a party moves between two lanes or deviates
course in a hazardous manner and/or without signaling appropriately in violation of CVC 22107. • Unsafe Starting or Backing refers to a driver unsafely beginning movement of a stopped vehicle
or backing a vehicle onto a roadway in violation of CVC 22106. • Unknown/Other refers to a collision for which the primary cause was either not reported or was
not consistent with any of the CVC violations described above.
Figure 4: Collision Severity by Primary Collision Factor
Identifying the outcomes of the collision (the injuries or type of damage which occurred) is a key part of
assessing the environment and safety factors around the site of the collision. The major Primary Collision
Factors in Los Gatos for injury collisions are Unsafe Speed, Vehicle Right of Way Violations, and Improper
Turning.
Collision Trends in Los Gatos
This analysis identified several collision trends and risk factors in Los Gatos, including:
Unsafe Speed
Vehicle Right of Way Violation
Improper Turning
Traffic Signals & Signs
Driving/Bicycling Under the Influence
Wrong Side of Road
Pedestrian Right of Way Violation
Unknown
Other Than Driver (or Pedestrian)
Pedestrian Violation
Other Hazardous Violation
Unsafet Starting or Backing
Unsafe Lane Change
Improper Passing
Following too Closely
Impeding Traffic
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
All Collisions KSI Collisions
• Drugs or alcohol increased the likelihood that a collision will be more severe • A much larger share of collisions occurred with ages 60 and older • People walking and biking were more likely to be fatally or severely injured
Hot Spot Analysis
Following conventional collision mapping processes, the top intersections and corridors where collisions
occurred in the 5-year analysis period were identified. The locations of fatal and severe injury (KSI)
collisions were overlaid to reveal where the most severe collisions occurred and if there was overlap with
the collision hotspots.
Killed or Severely Injured Collision (KSI)
Severe injuries resulting from a traffic collision can result in a number of catastrophic impacts, including
permanent disability, lost productivity and wages, and ongoing healthcare costs. These injuries can
include:
• Broken bones • Dislocated or distorted limbs • Severe lacerations • Unconsciousness at or when taken from the collision scene
Throughout this plan, the acronym KSI is used to denote collisions where someone was killed or severely
injured. Figure 5 shows the collision hot spot locations and KSIs in the Town. See Appendix C for KSIs in
Los Gatos.
Figure 2: Injury Collisions and KSI Collisions in Los Gatos
The key collision locations and corridors identified through this hotspot analysis and Figure 6 are:
Key Collision Locations a. Los Gatos Saratoga Rd and Massol Ave/Montgomery St
b. Los Gatos Saratoga Rd and University Ave
c. Los Gatos Saratoga Rd and Los Gatos Blvd
d. Los Gatos Saratoga Rd and Alberto Way
e. Winchester Blvd and Lark Ave
f. Los Gatos Blvd and Blossom Hill Rd
g. Blossom Hill Rd and Cherry Blossom Lane
Key Collision Corridors
a. Los Gatos Blvd: SR-85 to Simons Way
b. Los Gatos Saratoga Rd: Montgomery St to Los Gatos Blvd
c. Blossom Hill Rd: Roberts Rd to Hillbrook Dr
d. Santa Cruz Ave: Blossom Hill Rd to Wood Rd
e. University Ave: Vasona Oaks Dr to Lark Ave
f. Lark Ave: Winchester Blvd to Los Gatos Blvd
Figure 3: Key Collision Locations and Corridors
Systemic Analysis
Systemic analysis is a proactive safety approach that focuses on evaluating an entire roadway network
using a defined set of criteria. It looks at collision history on an aggregate basis to identify high-risk
roadway characteristics in addition to looking at high collision locations. By merging adjacent road and
intersection features with collision data, relationships can be uncovered between contextual factors and
the risk of frequent and severe collisions. This systemic process relied on a two-fold approach to identify
key safety issues and locations to prioritize hot spot analysis and development of collision types.
Collision Typing
In developing systemic analysis, it is important to understand the relationship between collisions and the
contexts in which they occurred. A systemic matrix illustrating the number of collisions at the intersection
of a collision characteristic (e.g. location of pedestrian) and a contextual characteristic (e.g. posted speed
of roadway) was identified. Each combination of a collision characteristic and a contextual characteristic
represents a collision type. The highest occurring collision types and collision types with the largest share
of severe collisions were mapped and considered for further study. This process evaluates risk across the
entire roadway system, rather than only managing risk at certain locations where collisions have occurred.
Systemic Matrices
Collision data was paired with geographic roadway and other contextual data to develop collision types
using a series of systemic matrices. Outputs from the collision analysis were used to populate a set of
matrices that allow us to look at crosstabs (collision data in rows and geographic data in columns) for
collisions across the entire roadway network. The matrices allowed for identification of the combinations
of factors that contributed to a high number of all collisions, and combinations that led to a high number
of fatal and severe collisions. Matrices were created for each mode, as well as for the most severe
collisions. From these matrices, we identified a set of collision types that represent the most frequent and
most severe collision types across a broad range of roadway contexts within Los Gatos.
The result of the systemic analysis was the identification of Town-wide collision profiles shown in the
subsequent chapter.
Collision Risk Profiles and
Countermeasure Toolbox
This chapter presents profiles identified through the hotspot and systemic analyses as well as key safety
countermeasures applicable to different roadway contexts across Los Gatos.
Collision Risk Profiles
Based upon the analysis of collision history, collision rates, and contextual factors, collision profiles or
typologies can be identified. These profiles describe roadway characteristics and/or driver behaviors that
are found to be leading to collisions and can therefore be used in a systemic methodology to proactively
identify locations which have similar contexts but may have experienced fewer collisions in the past.
The systemic analysis combined collision history with contextual data on roadway characteristics as well as
input from local stakeholders to produce a set of 10 collision profiles to highlight the most common and
severe collision patterns in Los Gatos, shown in Table 1:
Table 1: Collision Risk Profiles
Collision Risk Profile Description Factors Number of Collisions Potential Countermeasures
Age 60+ Involvement Collisions involving
people age 60 or older
Pedestrians, bicyclists
and/or vehicles involved
parties, involved party age
60+
82 Injury (21%), 6
KSI (20%)
Curb Extensions, Extended
Pedestrian Crossing Time, Raised
Crosswalks, Speed Tables, Pedestrian
Refuge Island and Median, Signing
and Striping Improvements,
Enhanced Bicycle Facility, New
Sidewalk, Retroreflective Backplates
for Signals, Daylighting Intersections
Unmarked Pedestrian Crossing
Pedestrians who are
crossing outside of
crosswalks involved in
collisions
Pedestrians and vehicles
both involved
parties, location has
unmarked crosswalk
10 Injury (3%), 3
KSI (10%)
Curb Extensions, Pedestrian Refuge
Island and Median, Flashing Beacons,
High Visibility Crosswalk
Failure to Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalk
Pedestrians who are
crossing at crosswalks
involved in collisions
Pedestrians and vehicles
both involved parties,
location has marked
crosswalk (midblock or at
intersection, signalized or
unsignalized)
16 Injury (4%)
Curb Extensions, Pedestrian Refuge
Island and Median, Flashing Beacons,
Leading Pedestrian Interval, High
Visibility Crosswalk
Walking or Bicycling on a Major Roadway
Pedestrians or bicyclists
involved in collisions
along arterials such as
Los Gatos Boulevard,
Santa Cruz Avenue, and
Blossom Hill Road
Pedestrians and/or bicyclists
involved parties, location is
classified as arterial
87 Injury (22%), 7
KSI (23%)
Enhanced Bicycle Facility, New
Sidewalk, Enhanced Sidewalk (e.g.
buffer), Roadway and Intersection
Safety Lighting, Pedestrian Signal
Improvements, Pedestrian Refuge
Island and Median
Bicyclists at Stop Signs
Cyclists at stop signs who
are involved in collisions
with vehicles
Bicyclists and vehicles both
involved parties, location is
unsignalized intersection
with stop control
38 Injury (10%), 3
KSI (10%)
Enhanced Bicycle Facility, Curb
Extensions, Signing and Striping
Improvements, Parking Restrictions
Midblock Bicycle Conflict
Cyclists who are involved
in collisions with vehicles
away from an
intersection
Bicyclists and vehicles
involved parties, location is
not intersection
31 Injury (8%), 4
KSI (13%)
Enhanced Bicycle Facility, Roadway
and Intersection Safety Lighting,
Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements
Speed Related Conflict
Vehicles involved in
collisions where speed is
identified as a
contributing factor
Unsafe speed identified 116 Injury (30%);
5 KSI (16%)
Vehicle Speed Feedback Sign, Traffic
Calming (Speed Humps or Raised
Crosswalks), Protected Bikeway, Lane
Reduction or Narrowing
Broadside Unsignalized Vehicle
Vehicle colliding with the
side of another vehicle at
unsignalized intersection
Vehicles are the involved
party, collision type is
broadside, location is
unsignalized intersection
22 Injury (6%); 1
KSI (3%)
Signing and Striping Improvements,
Parking Restrictions, Turn
Restrictions/Medians, Lane
Reduction, Modified Intersection
Control (All-way Stop or Signalization)
Red Light Violation Vehicles running red
lights at signalized
intersections
Vehicle is involved party,
location is signalized
intersection, violation is
traffic signals and signs
violation
17 Injury (4%), 1
KSI (3%)
Advance Dilemma-zone Detection,
Signal Timing and Phasing
Improvements, Signal Equipment
Upgrades, Education & Compliance
Driving Under the Influence
Drivers driving under the
influence of alcohol or
drugs
Vehicle is involved party, at
least one party was under
influence of drugs or alcohol
25 Injury (6%), 5
KSI (16%)
Education, Enforcement, Vehicle
Speed Feedback Sign, Traffic Calming
(Speed Hump or Raised Crosswalk)
Note: Because an individual collision may be categorized under multiple profiles, the values in the table do not sum to 100%.
Cells without a percentage KSI represent profiles where zero KSI collisions occurred for a given mode.
Safety Countermeasures Toolbox
This section presents key safety countermeasures applicable in different roadway contexts across Los
Gatos. The countermeasures associated with the collision risk profiles are described further, including
engineering countermeasures, Safe System elements, and non-engineering countermeasures.
Many of the countermeasures are Caltrans-approved, with an associated Crash Reduction Factor (CRF)
and crash type (i.e., all modes, bicycle and pedestrian crashes only, etc.) as outlined in the 2020 California
LRSM. The higher the CRF (100% being the highest), the greater the expected reduction in crashes.
Countermeasures not in the LRSM are scored on a “low-medium-high” AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH scale
based on proven safety studies; otherwise, denoted as “N/A” when limited safety studies are available. The
higher the AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH rating, the greater the expected reduction in crashes.
Engineering Countermeasures
A complete Safety Countermeasure Toolbox containing 88 countermeasures can be found in Appendix D.
Safe System Elements
Making a commitment to zero deaths means addressing every aspect of collision risks through the five
elements of a Safe System, shown below. These layers of protection and shared responsibility promote a
holistic approach to safety across the entire transportation system. The key focus of the Safe System
approach is to reduce death and serious injuries through design that accommodates human mistakes and
injury tolerances.
Safe Road Users
The Safe System approach addresses the safety of all road users, including those who walk, bike, drive,
ride transit, and travel by other modes.
Safe Vehicles
Vehicles are designed and regulated to minimize the occurrence and severity of collisions using safety
measures that incorporate the latest technology.
Safe Speeds
Humans are unlikely to survive high-speed collisions. Reducing speeds can accommodate human injury
tolerances in three ways: reducing impact forces, providing additional time for drivers to stop, and
improving visibility.
Safe Roads
Designing to accommodate human mistakes and injury tolerances can greatly reduce the severity of
collisions that do occur. Examples include physically separating people traveling at different speeds,
providing dedicated times for different users to move through a space, and alerting users to hazards and
other road users.
Post-Crash Care
When a person is injured in a collision, they rely on emergency first responders to quickly locate them,
stabilize their injury, and transport them to medical facilities. Post-collision care also includes forensic
analysis at the collision site, traffic incident management, and other activities.
Non-Engineering Countermeasures
Education
Transportation safety education plays an important role in shaping and shifting behavior. Many cities,
such as Seattle, Oakland, and Los Angeles, are including community engagement and education to make
streets safer for all. For example, the Los Angeles Vision Zero Dignity-Infused Community Engagement
(DICE) approach includes partnerships with local nonprofits, paid outreach work for those experiencing
barriers to employment, and both large- and small-scale community engagement events.
Community engagement is not a one-size-fits-all model as different communities have different needs. By
developing culturally relevant engagement strategies, all participants are invited into conversations about
safety. For example, including cultural markers of a local community can be a creative and welcoming way
of engaging residents. Also, meeting people "where they are" to gather input on safety issues at local
parks can more effectively engage parents and children, rather than expecting families to attend a
meeting at a government building. Pop-up engagement conducted by the Town and Safe Routes to
School staff at the Los Gatos Farmers’ Market as part of the LRSP is an example of such education efforts.
Enforcement
Traffic enforcement can be one part of a multipronged approach to communicating expected behaviors
for safe road users, combined with other strategies such as road user education and safe road design. The
following sections discuss effective strategies and noteworthy considerations for implementing
enforcement-based strategies.
Emergency services
Victims involved in collision have a higher chance of survival if they can quickly receive medical care. In
many cases, law enforcement officers and fire department staff are the first responders to arrive at a
collision location. In addition to equipping all first responders with the appropriate training, improving
response times for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will help improve collision victims’ chances of
survival. Additionally, collisions on their own can also put first responders’ and other road users’ lives at
risk due to increased congestion during the collision response, which may lead to secondary collisions.
Los Gatos should work with EMS to provide effective response times while maintaining a safe
environment while traveling to the scene of collisions and attending to patients at the scene. Strategies
include designing emergency vehicles to be highly visible (e.g., retroreflective striping and chevrons, high-
visibility paint, and built-in passive light) and implementing emergency vehicle signal preemption, which
allows emergency vehicles to break a normal signal cycle and proceed through an intersection.
Emerging technology
Recent advancements in transportation technology have not only introduced new transportation modes
and travel patterns, but have also presented opportunities to better understand travel behavior and
encourage safe behavior.
Emphasis Areas
Through the collision and contextual data analysis, a set of safety emphasis areas for the Town were
identified. These emphasis areas were selected in collaboration with the Town taking into account
community and stakeholder feedback on areas of concern, the number of collisions, and systemic analysis
results. A full list of emphasis areas can be found in Table 3: priority emphasis areas table. The emphasis
area cutsheets can be found in Appendix E, which show the collisions, top injury factors, and proposed
countermeasures at each location.
In addition to the quantitative and geographic data analyzed as part of this project, a combination of in-
person and virtual (remote using satellite, aerial, and virtual photograph imagery from sources such as
Google and Bing) investigations were conducted to better understand existing conditions, constraints,
opportunities, and needs at each project location. The combination of data analysis and site investigations
were utilized to identify issues and candidate treatments.
Initial Selection of Emphasis Areas
An initial list of twelve intersection and segment emphasis areas was identified using a combination of the
number of collisions, the number of KSI collisions, and the systemic analysis results. These locations reflect
a variety of contexts, location types, and collision risk profiles. The initial 12 locations are reflected in Table
2.
Table 2: Priority Emphasis Area Initial Selection
Location Type Collisions Top Injury Factors
Intersections
Blossom Hill Road and Vasona Park Road Intersection Total Injury Collisions 5 KSI Collisions 0 Unsafe Speed DUI
Los Gatos Saratoga Rd and Montgomery St Intersection Total Injury Collisions 10 KSI Collisions 0
Broadside Driver not yielding Failure to signal
Los Gatos Saratoga Rd and University Ave Intersection Total Injury Collisions 8 KSI Collisions 0
Unsafe Speed Broadside Rear end Driver not stopping at line
Winchester Blvd and Lark Ave Intersection Total Injury Collisions 3 KSI Collisions 1
Unsafe Speed Driver not stopping at line Rear End
Winchester Blvd and Wimbledon Dr Intersection Total Injury Collisions 3 KSI Collisions 0
Unsafe Speed Driver not yielding at crosswalk Improper turning
Los Gatos Blvd and Blossom Hill Road Intersection Total Injury Collisions 5 KSI Collisions 0
Unsafe Speed DUI Rear End
Los Gatos Blvd and Garden Hill Drive Intersection Total Injury Collisions 5 KSI Collisions 0 DUI Unsafe Speed
Segments
Tait Avenue: West Main Street to Los Gatos Saratoga Road Segment Total Injury Collisions 4 KSI Collisions 1
Unsafe Speed Left Turn Violation Pedestrian crossing outside of crosswalk
North Santa Cruz Avenue: Main Street to Los Gatos Saratoga Road Segment Total Injury Collisions 16 KSI Collisions 0
Unsafe Speed Driver not yielding at crosswalk Failure to signal
North Santa Cruz Avenue: Blossom Hill Road to Thurston Street Segment Total Injury Collisions 12 KSI Collisions 1
Rear End Failure to Yield Left Turn Violation
Los Gatos Boulevard: Bennett Way to Los Gatos Almaden Road Segment Total Injury Collisions 29 KSI Collisions 2
Unsafe Speed Failure to yield Rear End Broadside
Los Gatos Saratoga Rd: Los Gatos Blvd to HWY 17 off ramp Segment Total Injury Collisions 10 KSI Collisions 0
Unsafe Speed DUI Rear End Driver not yielding
Blossom Hill Rd: Los Gatos Blvd to Winterbrook Rd Segment Total Injury Collisions 13 KSI Collisions 1
Unsafe Speed DUI Improper Turning Driver not yielding or stopping at line
Los Gatos Blvd: Bennett Way to Garden Ln Segment Total Injury Collisions 19 KSI Collisions 1
Unsafe Speed Failure to yield Rear End Broadside
Final Emphasis Areas
Upon consultant with stakeholders and Town staff, five final emphasis areas were selected from the initial
twelve locations. The selection of these areas took into account recent or planned implementation of safety improvements at some of the locations, including improvements completed at Highway 9 (Los
Gatos Saratoga Road) & Massol Avenue and Winchester Boulevard & Lark Avenue intersection as well as
designs included in the CIP at the Highway 9 interchange and along Blossom Hill Road.
The final five emphasis areas reflect a variety of contexts, including a multi-lane arterial corridor,
downtown “main street” context, residential neighborhood street, and an intersection with high
multimodal demand. This allows the potential countermeasures identified for the final emphasis areas to provide a representative framework for evaluating safety countermeasures at locations throughout the
Town as part of future efforts. The five final emphasis areas are (shown in Figure 4):
a. Blossom Hill Rd and Vasona Park Rd b. Tait Ave: W Main St and Los Gatos Saratoga Rd
c. Santa Cruz Ave: W Main St and Los Gatos Saratoga Rd d. N Santa Cruz Ave: Blossom Hill Rd and Thurston St
e. Los Gatos Blvd: Bennett Way to Garden Ln
Walking Audits
Walking Audits were held on January 25, 2022 with Town staff and the Safety Partners to discuss potential
countermeasures as well as benefits and challenges of implementing various safety projects. The group
walked two of the five emphasis areas - Los Gatos Boulevard from Los Gatos Almaden Road to Lark
Avenue and Tait Avenue from Highway 9 (Los Gatos Saratoga Road) to Main Street. After the walking
audits, adjustments to preliminarily identified countermeasures at each location were identified for
consideration in not only those two areas, but also for similar treatments in each of the five emphasis
areas. Specific elements discussed during the walk audit and through subsequent collaboration with the
Safety Partners included:
• Reevaluation of midblock crosswalk recommendations, especially on multi-lane arterials • Potential benefit of traffic operation analysis to further evaluate modifications to elements such as corner radii, right-turn islands, or traffic signal operations on busier corridors, particularly for
future corridor study that may be developed along Los Gatos Boulevard • Consideration for pedestrian scale lighting, including at neighborhood locations
Identification of Potential Countermeasures for Priority Emphasis Areas
Table 3 identifies the final Priority Emphasis Areas, with data on the total collisions, KSI collisions, and top
injury factors identified. Figure 7 illustrates the locations of these areas.
Table 3: Final Priority Emphasis Areas
# Location Collisions Top Injury Factors
1 Blossom Hill Road and Vasona Park Road Total Injury Collisions 5 KSI Collisions 0 Unsafe Speed DUI
2 Tait Avenue: West Main Street to Los Gatos Saratoga Road Total Injury Collisions 4 KSI Collisions 1
Unsafe Speed Left Turn Violation Pedestrian crossing outside of crosswalk
3 North Santa Cruz Avenue: Main Street to Los Gatos Saratoga Road Total Injury Collisions 16 KSI Collisions 0
Unsafe Speed Driver not yielding at crosswalk Failure to signal
4 North Santa Cruz Avenue: Blossom Hill Road to Andrews Street Total Injury Collisions 13 KSI Collisions 1
Rear End Failure to Yield Left Turn Violation
5 Los Gatos Boulevard: Bennett Way to Los Gatos Almaden Road Total Injury Collisions 31 KSI Collisions 2
Unsafe Speed Failure to yield Rear End Broadside
Figure 7: Priority Emphasis Areas
The potential countermeasures at these locations may be suited to a wide variety of approaches for funding and implementation, with opportunities to implement systemic, low-cost, quick-build improvements potentially best suited to funding through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). The countermeasures are summarized in Table 4. The emphasis area cutsheets can be found in Appendix E, which shows the collisions, top injury factors, and proposed countermeasures at each location.
Table 4: Priority Emphasis Area Countermeasures
# Location Signal Timing and Phasing Signs and Markings
Intersection and Roadway Design Bikeway Design Pedestrian Crossings
1 Blossom Hill Road and Vasona Park Road
• Advance Limit Line
• Retroreflective Backplates
• Class IV Bikeway Delineators
• Extend Green Time for Bikes
• Two-Stage Turn Queue Bike Box
• Protected Intersection
• Wayfinding
• Leading Pedestrian Interval
2
Tait Avenue: West Main Street to Los Gatos Saratoga Road1
• Additional Signal Heads
• Extend Green Time for Bikes
• Extend Pedestrian Crossing Time
• Leading Pedestrian Interval
• Retroreflective Backplates
• Upgrading to 12" signal heads
• Modify channelized rights & reduce corner radii where feasible
• Green Bike Lane Conflict Zone Markings
• Two-Stage Turn Queue Bike Box
• Evaluate lane reductions to facilitate bikeway improvements
• ADA Ramps & Audible Push Button Upgrades
• High-Visibility Crosswalk
• Straighten crosswalks
3
North Santa Cruz Avenue: Main Street to Los Gatos Saratoga Road
• Additional Signal Heads
• Extend Pedestrian Crossing Time
• Leading Pedestrian Interval
• Retroreflective Backplates
• Upgrading to 12" signal heads
• Reduce corner radii where feasible
• Green Bike Lane Conflict Zone Markings
• Two-Stage Turn Queue Bike Box
• ADA Ramps & Audible Push Button Upgrades
• High-Visibility Crosswalk
• Straighten crosswalks
• Provide Yield Limit lines
• RRFB
• Improve sightlines
1Improvements in ii, iii, iv may be pursued in phases with more substantial modifications considered through the LGB Class IV corridor design
4
North Santa Cruz Avenue: Blossom Hill Road to Andrews Street
• Additional Signal Heads
• Extend Pedestrian Crossing Time
• Leading Pedestrian Interval
• Retroreflective Backplates
• Upgrading to 12" signal heads
• Modify channelized rights & reduce corner radii where feasible
• Green Bike Lane Conflict Zone Markings
• Two-Stage Turn Queue Bike Box
• Evaluate lane reductions to facilitate bikeway improvements
• ADA Ramps & Audible Push Button Upgrades
• High-Visibility Crosswalk
• Straighten crosswalks
• Provide Yield Limit lines
• RRFB
• Improve sightlines
5
Los Gatos Boulevard: Bennett Way to Los Gatos Almaden Road
• Advance Stop Bar
• Advance Yield Markings
• Speed Humps or Speed Tables
• Paint and Plastic Curb Extension
• Curb Extensions
• High-Visibility Crosswalk
• Raised Crosswalk
• Consider Pedestrian Scale Lighting
Funding, Implementation, and
Evaluation Strategies
This chapter identifies funding and implementation considerations that will be important to Town staff as
they seek to program and construct safety projects.
Funding Opportunities
Although HSIP is a common avenue for funding safety improvements, a variety of additional funding
sources can be used to finance safety projects. The Funding Sources Table 5 outlines regional, state, and
federal programs related to transportation, air quality, sustainability, and housing that can be utilized to
fund associated safety improvements depending on context.
Table 5: Funding Sources
Funding Source Program Purpose
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program
The FAST Act continued the CMAQ program to provide a flexible funding source to State and local governments for transportation projects and programs to help meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act. Funding is available to reduce congestion and improve air quality for areas that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone, carbon monoxide, or particulate matter (nonattainment areas) and for former nonattainment areas that are now in compliance (maintenance areas).
Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grant Program
This program supports projects that are "road or bridge projects eligible under title 23, United States Code;" and "intermodal projects." This program replaces the TIGER program.
Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)
California's Local HSIP focuses on infrastructure projects with nationally recognized crash reduction factors (CRFs). Local HSIP projects must be identified on the basis of collision experience, collision potential, collision rate, or other data-supported means.
Active Transportation Program (ATP)
ATP is a statewide competitive grant application process with the goal of encouraging increased use of active modes of transportation. The ATP consolidates existing federal and state transportation programs, including the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), Bicycle Transportation Account (BTA), and State Safe Routes to School (SR2S), into a single program with a focus to make California a national leader in active transportation. The ATP administered by the Division of Local Assistance, Office of State Programs.
SB-1 Transportation Funding
The State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) is the biennial five-year plan for future allocations of certain state transportation funds for state highway improvements, intercity rail, and regional highway and transit improvements.
Santa Clara County 2016 Measure B
A one-half cent sales tax measure in Santa Clara County for transportation improvements to enhance transit, highways, expressways and active transportation through April 1, 2047.
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) Program
Federally funded program administered by MTC to invest in local street and road maintenance, streetscape enhancements, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, transportation planning, and safe routes to school while advancing regional housing goals.
Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program
To encourage local and regional planning that furthers state goals, including, but not limited to, the goals and best practices cited in the Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines adopted by the California Transportation Commission.
California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS)
OTS administers traffic safety grants in the following areas: Alcohol Impaired Driving, Distracted Driving, Drug-Impaired Driving, Emergency Medical Services, Motorcycle Safety, Occupant Protection, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, Police Traffic Services, Public Relations, Advertising, and Roadway Safety and Traffic Records.
Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC)
The Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program makes it easier for Californians to drive less by making housing, jobs, and key destinations accessible by walking, biking, and transit.
Implementation Strategies
Implementation of the LRSP is a vital step in the process where identified strategies and projects are
executed. To successfully implement programs and projects, partnerships, trust, funding and coordination
need to be proactively managed. Successful implementation requires sustained and coordinated support
from key stakeholders, elected officials and Town staff. Some strategies are outlined below:
Oversight & Accountability
Establishing a committee or Task Force with key officials and stakeholders (in and outside of the Town)
that meets bi-annually or quarterly is recommended to facilitate effective delivery of safety projects and
programs. Having appointed leadership will be a crucial part of maintaining buy-in and support for the
LRSP from not only officials, but the community as well. Leadership could additionally include members
from identified LRSP partners. Holding the Town’s community development, engineering, and public
safety departments accountable is crucial for effective implementation, along with holding County
departments accountable as well. Some duties could include conducting briefings and presentations at
board and agency meetings, collecting and sharing information on a regular basis and updating a public-
facing database (or scorecard) on LRSP goal progress.
Coordination & Partnership
Throughout the lifetime of the LRSP, coordination and partnership amongst diverse stakeholders will be
essential for effective delivery of the LRSP. Some strategies include regularly informing leaders and
stakeholders on progress and key milestones, consulting partner agencies early on in the implementation
process to gather suggestions and feedback, and finding opportunities for partnership via project
bundling (e.g. integrating LRSP projects with pavement resurfacing and maintenance).
Funding
One major hurdle to plan implementation is often funding. As part of an implementation strategy it is
recommended that the Town stay up to date on potential grant opportunities and place the most
competitive projects forward as grant sources evolve. Additionally, reviewing an updated list of current
capital projects to find where LRSP projects could overlap for possible project bundling. See previous
section on funding for more details.
Communication
Having continued communication and transparency with stakeholders and community members can allow
for greater trust and support of the LRSP’s goals. Some strategies include communication across diverse
channels (e.g. updated webpage, news, and social media), actively addressing community concerns,
publishing updating factsheets on plan progress, and regular public meetings using effective community
engagement techniques. An oversight committee or Task Force (as proposed above) could aid with
leading efforts on communication and trust-building.
Implementation Actions, Phasing & Sequencing
Implementing countermeasures, projects, and programs identified in the LRSP typically requires an
ongoing, long-term commitment from the Town. To facilitate the evaluation and prioritization of funding,
it can be desirable to consider the implementation of safety projects through different time horizons.
Near-term implementation efforts may focus on low-cost improvements which can be constructed within
five years. These may include systemic improvements such as upgraded traffic signal heads, signal
phasing and timing modifications, high-visibility crosswalk markings, and pedestrian visibility
enhancements which can be pursued as discrete projects or as system improvements at multiple
locations.
Medium-term implementation goals may target the pursuit of progressive safety elements such as those
identified in the Countermeasure Toolbox in all capital projects and infrastructure planning efforts already
underway. This could include emphasizing safety in projects such as the Highway 17 Bicycle and
Pedestrian Overcrossing, Winchester Boulevard Complete Streets, Blossom Hill Road Safety
Improvements, and Los Gatos Boulevard corridor improvements.
Long-term goals may focus on further emphasizing safety in future planning and design efforts, including
updates to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and all capital improvement projects. Future efforts for
the Town to consider may also include formalizing the Town’s pledge to Vision Zero strategies and values.
An ongoing commitment to the inclusion of off-site safety improvements in conjunction with
development projects will allow the Town to capitalize on additional funding opportunities.
Evaluation Strategies
Evaluation allows the Town to understand its performance in achieving its safety goals and inform future
decision-making accordingly. It provides the basis for determining selection of emphasis or priority areas,
countermeasures, and locations to reduce collisions and collision severity.
Update the Plan Regularly
For example, scheduling an update every two years could assist with organizing and directing evaluation
efforts. As conditions within the Town and region could change, it will be necessary to update the LRSP in
the future.
Identify Target Metrics and Measure Goal Performance in Priority Areas
In order to understand progress and safety conditions, several metrics should be used in LRSP evaluation.
Examples of measuring goal performance include monitoring the number of total collisions, specific types
of collisions, and/or safety infrastructure improvements installed.
Additional regular measurement of goal progress in priority areas can be performed every year. One
example is a safety scorecard. Safety scorecards that are released annually can be a powerful tool for
measuring effectiveness, highlighting areas that need further attention and resources, and identifying
tasks and deadlines for responsible stakeholder parties.
Continue Engagement of Stakeholders
Efforts around evaluation should include expanding partnership from diverse sources (e.g. officials,
agencies, community advocacy groups). Input from identified stakeholders and future partners, along with
collected target metrics, could be used to adapt the plan based on community feedback and expert
insight as projects and programs are rolled out.
Conduct pre- and post- surveys with community members to measure how their actions and views have
shifted after engagement around traffic safety. Local partners can be tasked with disseminating the pre-
and post-surveys to residents. Surveys should evaluate whether respondents express a shift in behavior
after having participated in traffic safety programming. The metrics for evaluation can also be developed
in partnership with local partners to facilitate broader accessibility for the public.
Appendix A: Survey Responses
Appendix B: Los Gatos Existing
Conditions Presentation
Appendix C: KSI Collisions
Appendix D: Countermeasure
Toolbox
Appendix E: Emphasis Area
Cutsheets