SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The community grieved when a mother was hit and killed by a car while waiting for her daughter at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School in 2022.
Fellow parent Isaac Gonzalez says his daughter attended the same school and he was ready to help in any way he could.
"I lived in Sacramento my whole life. My wife and I bought a house and set down our roots, joined the neighborhood association board and kind of got addicted to community," he told ABC10. "Lupe Jimenez was killed when someone ran a red light, jumped the curb and hit her."
Months of community advocacy with his neighborhood in the aftermath of the crash helped them secure $5.5 million for improvements to Folsom Boulevard — $5 million from the state and $500,000 from Sacramento city officials.
The woman who killed Jimenez was charged with vehicular manslaughter.
Low-cost road improvement concepts
"Folsom Boulevard was literally at one point horses and wagons with that same plotted out straight line. They we're fast enough to kill someone, but now we have Teslas that go from zero to 60 without making any sound," Gonzalez said. "We are blazing into the 21st century using 19th century design principals."
Gonzalez says major road improvements typically cost in the high millions, but there are some low-cost and low-maintenance road safety concepts.
Tactical urbanism, also known as 'quick build,' is taking off-the-shelf items like barriers or planters and bringing them onto the road to make intersections appear narrower.
'Quick build' was referenced as a utilized road safety improvement in the City of Sacramento Transportation Division's Summer 2023 Vision Zero Update.
"Cities like Jersey City, New Jersey reached their Vision Zero goals of zero fatalities using things like tactical urbanism," Gonzalez said. "I'm really striving for that for Slow Down Sacramento."
He recently launched the Slow Down Sacramento advocacy campaign in partnership with the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association.
Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates executive director Deb Banks told ABC10 Gonzalez's advocacy on Folsom Boulevard is greatly appreciated by families and children who use the roads.
Banks says additional road safety measures that would reduce car vs. pedestrian incidents include protected bike lanes and 'bulb-out' curbs creating more sidewalk space.
"A lot of people think protected bike lanes are only good for cyclists but they take up space on the street and slow down traffic," she said. "That will limit people from getting severely hurt in vehicle collisions."
Caltrans recently announced it will spend about $930 million over the next four years to improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout California.
“The future of transportation relies on offering increased options for everybody, including better paths for walking and infrastructure for biking. These investments will help us build a California that fits every traveler, including those on foot, on bicycles, and on other personal mobility devices,” Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said.
