EAST SAN JOSE (KCBS RADIO) – A San Jose man says oncoming traffic has struck his home nearly two dozen times since he moved to the city in the 1960s, shining a light on the city's worsening traffic woes.
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Ray Minter has had to erect multiple reinforced barriers and a concrete pole-supported fence in front of his home, which is right next to the busy intersection of Bambi Lane and Jackson Avenue in East San Jose. The intersection also includes an Interstate 680 exit.
Minter said the barriers are his best defense against the speeding cars that, all too often, miss their turn and collide with his property. The 23 accidents have forced him to replace each of the poles in front of his home "multiple times."
"The front's been remodeled, the kitchen's been remodeled, living room," Minter told KCBS Radio with a laugh on Tuesday. Among the 23 crashes, cars have gone "all the way through the kitchen and everything" four times.
Minter said he has pushed for road improvements, but he hasn't gotten very far during his time living in San Jose. His difficulties highlight just how long it can take to actually make change, as the city contends with a broader crisis of traffic deaths.
"The state will put it off on the city, the city puts it off onto the state," Minter said.
Sixty people, including 23 pedestrians, died in traffic on San Jose's streets in 2021, making it one of the deadliest years in the city's history.
So far, San Jose is on pace for about 69 traffic deaths in 2022 after police announced last Saturday they were investigating their 43rd traffic death of the year. Most of those deaths occurred in East San Jose, according to a San Jose Spotlight analysis.
A San Jose spokesperson told KCBS Radio that a plan to reduce traffic speeds along Jackson Avenue is in the works, although it could be years away from completion. The city received $10 million in state funding this month to install safety measures near Senter Road in East San Jose.
Minter isn't optimistic the area around his home will become safer anytime soon.
"I've been here, like I said, since 1960. Why haven't they done anything?" he asked.
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