Hayward Council backs quick-build street fixes and a three-month enforcement operation after three pedestrian deaths

Hayward City Council on March 31 endorsed a staff plan to deploy immediate, low-cost "quick-build" street changes at the city's highest-risk intersections and launch a three-month, data-driven enforcement operation aimed at reducing pedestrian fatalities.

"In the month of February, we investigated unfortunately three fatal pedestrian traffic collisions," Lieutenant Ryan Sil of the Hayward Police Department told the council, noting the incidents happened at different times and locations within a ten-day span and remain under investigation. Lt. Sil singled out the Tennyson at Baldwin collision in which "an elderly grandmother and her grandson were hit ... while in the crosswalk." He said the department will pair investigations with engineering reviews to recommend safety fixes.

Byron Tang, principal transportation engineer, framed the work as part of a Vision Zero approach adopted by the city in 2023. He said the city's high-injury network makes up about 14% of road mileage but accounts for roughly 75% of fatalities and severe injuries, and staff identified the top 10 intersections for immediate action. "These are pilot projects because we want the ability to tweak as necessary," Tang said, describing advanced yield lines, bulb-outs using paint and flex posts, enhanced signage and red-curb zones as common quick-build treatments.

Council members heard that some quick-build treatments are already in place: Tang said Tennyson and Baldwin improvements "have already been implemented" and staff can begin other top sites within six months. Staff also outlined medium- and long-term projects including corridor redesigns under the Safe Streets Downtown and Safe Streets Hayward efforts and a potential implementation push if the city secures Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant funding.

On enforcement, Lt. Sil said the police department will launch a three-month operational period focused on education, engagement and enforcement, driven by high-injury-network data. The department set a minimum target of 20 enforcement hours per week distributed among listed corridors and said enforcement will focus on speeding, failure to yield, distracted and impaired driving and red light violations. "We want to be accountable to our community," he said, noting the operation will report citations, warnings and collision trends as it proceeds.

Residents and advocacy groups urged quick action and neighborhood-specific measures during public comment. "We support the short-term actions discussed tonight," Naomi Palh Hall, president of the Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association, told the council, and asked staff to prioritize neighborhood interventions such as enhanced speed bumps and the closing of Hazel Avenue to through traffic. Bike advocates pressed the council to codify Safe Streets demands and to treat bike lanes as essential transportation infrastructure for youth and lower-income residents.

Council members uniformly urged staff to move quickly. Several members supported prioritizing Tennyson Road for possible SS4A implementation funding; one council member said pursuing the grant was necessary "so we would have the resources for environmental and design work and part of construction" in an accelerated timeline. Staff said short-term funding for quick builds has been identified from regional TDA Article 3 funds and other regional sources and that more complex projects will require grant support.

What happens next: staff will begin immediate quick-build work at the highest-priority intersections, continue community outreach for neighborhood pilots (including possible temporary street closures), and return to the council with implementation details and funding plans. The police department will start the three-month enforcement operation in March and report back with metrics on citations, warnings and collision trends.