Three pedestrians have been severely injured in or near Green Valley Road and Freedom Boulevard in Watsonville since 2013, according to state data. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

WATSONVILLE >> Watsonville city staff are set to present possible redesigns to improve safety on Freedom Boulevard at a city council meeting Tuesday. The north-south thoroughfare is one of the most dangerous roads for cyclists and pedestrians in Watsonville. The city is ranked among the highest for cyclist and pedestrian crashes in the state. 

The potential redesign, part of the city’s Vision Zero Corridor Study would include:

• Narrower car lanes.
• Green painted bike lanes.
• New medians in some areas, replacing a center lane.
• New sidewalks.
• Redesigned intersections, including some with new crosswalks and new stoplights.
• A new roundabout between Freedom Boulevard, Miles Lane and Lincoln Street.

The new designs position the city to apply for future grants to fully design and construct the new features.

Since 2008, 30 people have died walking or biking in Watsonville. A Santa Cruz Local analysis this summer found that cyclists and pedestrians on Watsonville streets die at a rate 70% higher than the county average. That’s in part because wide, high-speed roads like Freedom Boulevard make crashes deadlier. 

Many of the elements of the new design may slow down vehicles, giving more time to stop before hitting people walking or biking, and making collisions less fatal. Similar projects in other cities have slowed cars without more congestion for vehicles. 

The plans aim to make Freedom Boulevard safer ahead of long-term plans for future housing and shops along the corridor.

Separately, at Tuesday’s meeting council members are set to approve a contract for street safety improvements, including new crosswalks and bike lanes, near six Watsonville schools.

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