Multiple intersections on 5th Street have come under scrutiny due to a high number of collisions
By YUENJO FAN — city@theaggie.org
On April 21, the Davis Transportation Commission met to address traffic safety at the intersections of 5th Street.
Ryan Chapman, the assistant director and traffic engineer for the Davis Public Works Department, provided more information on the city’s need for safety improvements for traffic. Chapman mentioned how more safety measures are needed to decrease the risk of accidents, specifically at intersections with I Street, K Street and J Street. Moreover, data from the city concluded that the 5th Street intersections are extremely busy, seeing around 17,000 vehicles a day. From January 2020 to January 2025, 23 accidents were reported in the area.
“There is a collision pattern that has become more pronounced as time has gone on,” Chapman said. “What we started looking at was a solution to address these collision patterns without pushing the problem. We looked at a number of different alternatives, [such as] roundabouts, stop signs and traffic signals. In all of those cases, there were constraints or issues that would require additional time or a lot of functions that aren’t available to implement.”
With the majority of collisions occurring at J Street’s intersection with 5th Street, Chapman explained the traffic solution that could address the issue.
“The proposal would restrict traffic on [streets] I, J and K to be ‘right turn out’ only,” Chapman said. “You would still be able to turn left on 5th onto those streets [and] still be able to turn right onto those streets. But if you were trying to exit, you would only be able to make a right-hand turn. […] Because none of the collisions we’ve seen have involved bicycles or pedestrians, we are not recommending restricting [their] movements, but it is something that we would continue to monitor.”
Davis resident Cindy Stover lives near the intersection of 5th Street and J Street and noted how she often hears traffic accidents. Addressing the commission, Stover underlined the increase in accidents while noting the neighborhood’s support of Chapman’s proposal.
“If you look at the past two years, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of accidents,” Stover said. “The traffic volumes and the speeds have increased, so [accidents] are going nowhere but up. I think this is very timely that we do something that we do now. It’s getting worse and worse. The neighbors, the ones that live close to this intersection, […] fully support the proposed safety measures that Ryan [Chapman] and city staff are putting forward.”
Transportation Commission Member Mark Huising also commented on the problem, questioning the reasoning for the excess vehicle traffic in a bike town.
“There’s an opportunity here to ask ourselves why we have 17,000 vehicles on [5th] Street, when many people like to bike,” Huising said. “[Also], a major concern for many people is something we’ve alluded to. Who is brave enough to cross the street at J or K Street? It is not safe. These are discussions that we can’t shy away from.”
Chapman’s traffic proposal would later be motioned and recommended to the Davis City Council.
Lastly, the meeting briefly touched upon an evaluation of the city’s speed bumps and the idea of constructing new speed bumps on Cowell Boulevard, between Roos Street and Dresbach Way. Following a neighborhood petition for additional speed bumps, the city sent out a subsequent survey, confirming that residents in the area largely support the idea. Construction is planned to be undertaken this summer. More information about this can be found online.
The Davis Transportation Commission meets at City Hall on the second Monday of each month. More information can be found on their website.
Written By: Yuenjo Fan — city@theaggie.org
