A rise in traffic accidents on Highway 17 over the summit is generating a lot of interest on both sides of the hill — including a proposal for new half-cent sales tax to pay for transportation needs in Santa Cruz County.
According to data from the California Highway Patrol through last July, accidents have steadily increased since 2012. In that year, the CHP recorded 167 crashes, 190 in 2013, 240 in 2014 and 191 through July 26 of last year.
“Since this last report came out, we’ve had a lot of interest in what’s going on, on 17,” Officer Ross Lee said Wednesday. “17 is not dangerous. (It’s) a very safe roadway. When you are following the speed limit, not following too closely and put down the distractions, it’s not a problem.”
Lee said as the economy improves and more people are commuting back and forth to the South Bay, it’s putting more cars on the road.
Commute traffic is something Ginger Dykaar, transportation planner for Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and the Safe on 17 Task Force, is well aware of.
“It comes down to the motorists driving in a safe manner. It’s really up to the motorist to pay attention to what’s happening. Many aren’t making the choice to do that,” Dykaar said Tuesday. “There’s also a lot more distracted driving nationwide. A lot more people are using their cell phones to send texts. Even the navigation systems in cars.”
Dykaar points out that there were no fatal crashes in 2015 and that’s something Safe on 17 — which Santa Cruz County, Santa Clara County, the CHP and CalTrans are all involved in — is committed to repeating through engineering solutions to make the highway safer, CHP enforcement and driver education.
“A lot of it is about increasing the amount of funding for transportation projects here and statewide,” she said. “It might be best if we had a local source of funding.”
To that end Dykaar said the SCCRTC is considering a November ballot initiative for a countywide half-cent sales tax increase to pay for transportation solutions.
“That’s a significant effort our staff is working on right now,” she said, adding the commission will make a decision in August about whether to put the initiative to the voters.
Whether county voters approve a tax to fund transportation projects, Lee said the onus to keep Highway 17 safe lies with drivers.
“Be aware of what’s going on, slow down a little bit,” he said. “It all comes down to paying attention and not being complacent.”
