City of San Jose takes step toward fixing one of its most dangerous roads

The city of San Jose took another step toward trying to fix one of its most dangerous roads. 

In just the last five years, there have been nearly 30 collisions that resulted in severe injuries or death on King Road.

Some proposed solutions include widening sidewalks and adding crosswalks, something residents say is long overdue.

“The accidents have raised their awareness that there needs to be changes,” said Victoria Partida, president of the Tropicana-Lanai Neighborhood Association. 

She, along with other residents listened to proposed changes and offered feedback.

For Partida, this hits home. 

“My mom was in a hit-and-run and we unfortunately did lose her,” she said.

Although it didn’t happen in San Jose, Partida knows all too well what it’s like to lose a loved one in a collision, and many others do too. 

City figures show that from 2019 to 2023, there have been 29 collisions on King Road -- 21 resulted in severe injuries and eight in fatalities.

One of those killed includes an infant. It happened in July of last year when a car hit three pedestrians on South King Road and Ocala Avenue. 

“My main concern is safety, I live right on King,” said Raul Perez, who said he sees accidents happen all too often. 

“That happens frequently because people are speeding up and down the street,” he said.

The changes the city is looking at include separating bike lanes and having continuous bus-only lanes. 

The planning stage is expected to wrap up in a couple of months, then they’ll have to find funding for the construction portion. 

“State and federal grant opportunities are rare, they're also very competitive,” said Wilson Tam, transportation planning manager.

That’s why they’re going to different neighborhoods to get feedback. They want to convince the state and federal government that this is an overdue project. 

They’re taking feedback until March 15.