Residents press Gilroy council for tougher school‑zone safety measures after two pedestrian deaths

Councilors and residents spent the longest portion of the briefing discussing pedestrian safety after Mayor Vozas noted two recent pedestrian fatalities.

Multiple residents described dangerous driving through school zones and requested immediate fixes near Miller and 3rd Street, including a lower posted speed limit, speed bumps, and a permanent crosswalk. One resident said the city had previously petitioned for traffic calming and urged renewed action: “I know. I’m living in the school zone, and I’m right there on 3rd between Miller… I did petition the city,” (resident comment).

Other commenters pressed for enforcement and behavior change; a councilor said part of the problem is driver and pedestrian behavior and urged combined approaches that include school‑based education and enforcement. Officials noted that traffic engineers rely on speed studies to recommend limits and that lowering a limit typically requires data showing speeds exceed the posted limit by a defined margin.

A resident proposed using automated enforcement developed in partnership with private firms; the resident referenced NVIDIA work and suggested AI‑enabled speed monitoring to issue automated citations as a deterrent. Council members cautioned that enforcement actions can be politically sensitive and may raise equity concerns, and they flagged operational tradeoffs—such as speed bumps slowing first responders.

Councilors said staff, the school district and the parks and recreation commission are already assessing mitigation options and that residents can email ideas to staff for follow up. The council discussed study‑session formats to examine solutions more deeply and indicated staff may return with options that balance engineering, enforcement and community education.

The briefing contained no immediate new ordinance or vote; it concluded with direction for staff to gather details and report back to council.