Opinion: San Jose pedestrian deaths show need for people-centered neighborhoods

“We’re not trying to victim blame. These are just facts.” This San Jose Police Department quote followed a comment highlighting that pedestrians killed in San Jose were outside of a crosswalk, (“San Jose shattered records for traffic deaths”.) Two days later, a follow-up article led with the headline “5 of 6 recent pedestrian deaths outside of crosswalks.” 

This is the wrong way to talk about traffic violence.

Whether a pedestrian was in or out of a crosswalk obscures the fact that the design of our auto-centric cities kills pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers — all of us. It distracts us from what we really need to do to create healthy communities that, by design, keep us safe — to build people-centered neighborhoods with affordable housing, jobs, services, parks, all within walking and biking distance.

40,000 people nationwide die on our streets every year. In San Jose, 70% of fatal crashes occur during dark hours, 30% are due to speed, and 67% are male drivers. Here’s more bad news:

• 10 crashes take place in San Jose every day — that’s over 300 a month in one city alone. Twenty of those monthly crashes end in death or severe injury.

•  For people 25 and under, dying in a car crash is the leading cause of death nationwide.

• 25% of pedestrian deaths nationwide happen inside of crosswalks. The rate of pedestrian deaths in Black communities is twice that of white communities in part because Black and brown neighborhoods are less likely to have crosswalks or other traffic-calming measures due to years of neglect and disinvestment.

And our auto-centered culture causes harm in more ways than one:

• Transportation is the leading cause of air pollution in the U.S.

• Cars contribute to our sedentary lifestyle and the diseases that result from inactivity.

• And as someone who grew up dependent on transit and bikes, I know firsthand that the expense of a car and lack of adequate transportation alternatives is a barrier to upward mobility. The necessity of car ownership keeps people down, economically.

What do we do?

It is unrealistic to think we can fund the number of police officers needed to catch and prevent poor driving, nor is it desirable given the impacts of policing on Black and brown communities.

If we want to create a healthier community, we have to recognize that our physical environment determines and predicts behavior. If you design a couch with three seat cushions, three people feel invited to sit on it. If streets are designed so that corners are sharp, lanes are narrow and lighting is good, people drive slowly and more safely. And if neighborhoods are redesigned so that groceries, libraries, jobs and affordable housing are within biking and walking distance, people are encouraged to get outside on foot, build bonds with each other and care for neighbors, reducing our dependence on cars.

It is unacceptable, cruel and irrational to blame those who can’t afford, aren’t physically able or choose not to drive a car. If we want healthy communities, build people-centered neighborhoods where the needs of each of us is within reach.

Next time your city council is debating urban villages, affordable housing, less parking, narrower streets and an environment that facilitates human interaction, say yes.

 Shiloh Ballard is executive director of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.