The intersection of 60th Street and Folsom Boulevard still haunts the East Sacramento community nearly three years later. It was here, just steps from Phoebe Hearst Elementary School, that 45-year-old Guadalupe Jimenez lost her life in January 2022 when a driver missed a red light during the afternoon school pickup rush. KCRA 3 reported that parents and staff members raced to help, lifting one of the cars in an attempt to free the victim.
That tragic scene has taken on new significance as Sacramento grapples with what city leaders now acknowledge is one of the most dangerous traffic environments in the United States. ABC10 reports that Councilmember Caity Maple admitted "we are one of the most dangerous cities in the United States for pedestrians and cyclists."
The Dangerous Reality at School Zones
The circumstances surrounding Jimenez's death reveal systemic issues that persist at schools throughout Sacramento. According to KCRA 3, Phoebe Hearst parents explained they park across busy Folsom Boulevard out of necessity as they try to get their children to and from school. One parent described the situation: "It's real crowded here. They're forced to park and come across this busy street."
This dangerous dance between parents, children, and traffic plays out daily across Sacramento's school zones, where infrastructure often fails to match the reality of modern school operations. The intersection where Jimenez died exemplifies the challenge: a busy arterial road that serves as both a major traffic corridor and a school access point.
A Crisis Demanding Emergency Action
Nearly three years after the Phoebe Hearst tragedy, Sacramento officials are finally acknowledging the full scope of their traffic safety crisis. Governing reported that Sacramento's Law and Legislation Committee discussed a proposed state of emergency over pedestrian and cyclist safety just six days after the city's 31st traffic death of 2024.
The numbers tell a stark story. As reported by ABC10, Vice Mayor Maple revealed that "over the past decade, within Sacramento's city limits, there have been over 5,000 collisions involving pedestrians or cyclists, leading to at least 264 reported preventable fatalities." She emphasized these "are not just statistics; they represent real people—children, parents, grandparents—members of our community whose lives have been irrevocably changed."
Vision Zero's Failed Promise
Sacramento adopted its Vision Zero goal in 2017, aiming to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2027. However, according to KCRA 3, data from Sacramento police shows there were 49 crashes resulting in serious injuries or deaths in 2024 compared with 28 in 2019, representing a dramatic increase despite years of investment in traffic calming measures.
Per Governing, UC Berkeley's Transportation Injury Mapping System shows that since Sacramento leaders' Vision Zero promise in 2017, vehicle crashes have killed more than 250 people. Councilmember Maple acknowledged the failure: "We have actually gone the opposite direction. We have increased the number of fatalities and injuries on our streets."
A National Pattern Hitting Home
Sacramento's crisis reflects broader national trends. Data from Smart Growth America shows that 7,522 people were struck and killed while walking in 2022 nationwide, averaging more than 20 per day. The organization notes that "our nation's streets are dangerous by design, designed primarily to move cars quickly at the expense of keeping everyone safe."
California particularly struggles with pedestrian safety. According to SafeTREC, in 2022, 26 percent (or 1,158) of all motor vehicle fatalities in California were pedestrians. The Sacramento region ranks 20th nationally for pedestrian road fatalities, as reported by SACOG.
Recent Tragedies Compound the Crisis
The pattern of preventable deaths continues to claim lives across Sacramento. CBS Sacramento reported on two deadly e-scooter crashes in a single week in September 2024, including 18-year-old Sacramento State freshman Kaylee Xiong and 32-year-old Dr. Geohaira Sosa, a UC Davis psychiatry resident. Sacramento police statistics show 23 deadly collisions and 23 deaths on city streets through September 2024.
The City's Belated Response
After years of rising fatalities, Sacramento officials have finally approved concrete action. According to ABC10, the Sacramento City Council unanimously approved the creation of a new Transportation Safety Team, focused on quick-build safety projects that bypass traditional competitive bidding for faster project completion. The goal is "rapid, cost-effective changes that can be deployed within months, not years."
Isaac Gonzalez, founder of Slow Down Sacramento, celebrated the approval, telling ABC10: "Tonight is a really transformative night for the city. After decades of working on road improvements in a very slow, laborious way, tonight the city is passing policies that will allow us to respond to dangerous intersections and roads much faster."
Funding Challenges Remain
Despite new initiatives, funding remains a critical obstacle. Governing reported that in June, the City Council declined to earmark $10 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year to fulfill recommendations made by the Active Transportation Commission. The commission noted that the city's Transportation Priorities Plan has $5 billion worth of projects but "only has about $42 million each year to do the work, which would take 100 years to build what is planned."
Councilmember Maple is pushing for renewal of Measure A, the transportation ballot measure set to expire in 2030, telling ABC10: "I am going to be pushing for a transportation ballot measure that really focuses on what we call active transportation, so pedestrians and cyclists, and protected bike lanes."
