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The City of Santa Cruz has released its first annual Traffic Safety Report. This review focuses on crash data of reported traffic collisions that resulted in injury or fatality for the year ending Dec. 31, 2015. The data shows some promising trends and provides a guide for future engineering and enforcement effort improvements. This report will be submitted to the Transportation and Public Works Commission at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, in the City Council Chambers. The report demonstrates some positive trends that may reflect the impact of six Safe Routes to School projects completed by the city since 2002, new green bike lanes, the Arana Gulch Multi-Use Trail Project and youth-focused traffic safety outreach efforts by the city and community organizations. Other trends highlight areas in need of improvement. “Safe Routes to School and other traffic safety projects have been a major focus for Public Works; this report will help us prioritize and fine-tune our future efforts,” said Public Works Director Mark Dettle. Highlights of the report include: • City of Santa Cruz total collisions were down 7.6 percent from 2014 to 2015. • Collisions involving elementary school-aged children biking or walking to school were rare, averaging less than one injury per year for the entire city from 2005-2015. • Crashes involving pedestrians decreased 17 percent from 2014 to 2015, while crashes involving bicyclists increased by 2 percent. • Unsafe speed (driving at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent, or without due regard for weather, visibility, traffic, etc. ) was the No. 1 cause of collisions in 2015, followed by failure to yield right of way to other roadway users and unsafe turning. Several city efforts are already underway to improve safety on high-collision streets and intersections. These include the construction of additional green bike lanes, installation of pedestrian crossing enhancements and the multi-dimensional Active Transportation Plan. “Community traffic safety is imperative for SCPD,” said Police Chief Kevin Vogel. “To help reduce speeding violations, we are expanding enforcement in school zones and neighborhoods based on community concerns and feedback.” Police are also deploying their mobile speed trailer that immediately notifies drivers of their speeds along with mounted flashing speed signage strategically placed throughout the city. Additionally, the Citywide Safe Routes to School Crossing Improvement Program will improve twenty-four crossings surrounding Santa Cruz City Schools and the Coastal Rail Trail Project will provide a safe coast-to-neighborhood connection for cyclists and pedestrians. A Santa Cruz police officer monitors traffic and works with a crossing guard at the busy intersection near Bay Street Elementary School in 2016.