WATSONVILLE >> Traffic collisions along Freedom Boulevard are a particular concern for the city of Watsonville. Between 2019 and 2023, there were 118 reported collisions, nine of which resulted in serious injuries or deaths.

The city is seeking to bring that lofty number down to 0 through its Vision Zero Action Plan, adopted by the Watsonville City Council in 2021 to create street designs that would more easily prevent traffic injuries and deaths. With an emphasis on Freedom Boulevard, city staff are in the midst of the Vision Zero Corridor Study and are calling upon the public to get involved.

The Vision Zero Corridor Study, an offshoot of the Vision Zero Action Plan, initially included an analysis of six corridors throughout Watsonville that have experienced high collision rates: Airport Boulevard, East Lake Avenue, Freedom Boulevard, Green Valley Road, Main Street and Riverside Drive. The Vision Zero Task Force ended up choosing Freedom as the main corridor to be examined in the study due to having the highest collision rates.

According to the city, the main factors of collisions along Freedom Boulevard from 2019 to 2023 were right-of-way violations, unsafe speeds, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, pedestrian violations and improper turning. Of the 118 collisions during that period, 15% involved bikes and 10% involved pedestrians. The top collision types were broadside, vehicle/pedestrian and head-on collisions.

Through a $320,293 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant from the California Department of Transportation, the city is working with Santa Cruz nonprofit Ecology Action to write the report and San Jose engineering consultant Fehr & Peers to analyze collision data and create conceptual designs. The draft corridor study is expected to be worked on over the summer with the final study anticipated to go before the council in April 2026.

Prior to the draft, Watsonville is calling upon the community to provide input. The city has a map on the project website where the public can drop pins along Freedom Boulevard to identify transportation or street design safety concerns. There is also a survey where they will be asked questions about where along Freedom they feel safe or unsafe due to infrastructure, suggestions for improvement and their preferred methods of travel.

The city will also be hosting workshops to discuss the study, which have not yet been announced, and team members will be on hand to garner feedback at pop-up events such as this Sunday’s Earth Day festival, noon to 3 p.m. in the Watsonville Civic Plaza, 358 Main St. Staff will also provide updates on the city’s Instagram page at Instagram.com/cityofwatsonvillegov/.

More information on the project can be accessed at Storymaps.arcgis.com. A link is available on the city’s website at Watsonville.gov.