“More than 280 pedestrians died or were severely injured [in Fresno] from [2019 to 2023].” (Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan)

Imagine sending your girls to school on a typical Tuesday morning, then getting a call saying they were in an accident. You jump to the worst-case scenario and wonder if there was something you could have done to prevent it. That is exactly what Bernadita went through.

Her daughter Esmerelda and her sister were on a scooter when a van hit them. Esmerelda’s sister fell near the tire of the van. Both girls are doing okay today, but the fear Bernadita felt that morning has motivated her to share her story and advocate for change.

Our streets are not always safe for our students, which is why Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) joined parents and residents for a walk audit around Columbia Elementary.

Bernadita was one of many parents who participated in the audit. Karl Gurney, Neighborhood Development Coordinator at ENP, shared that the walk audit “was a process that grew out of the parents’ and residents’ desire to see improvements in their neighborhood.”

During the walk audit, participants walked one mile around Columbia Elementary to look at the state of the sidewalks and see how safe the routes are for students and all residents.

“Youth and older adults make up nearly 40% of Fresno’s population. These populations are more likely to rely on walking, biking, and transit due to limited access to personal vehicles. These groups are also more physically vulnerable in traffic collisions and are overrepresented in crash data.” (Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan)

That is why Fresno needs safe sidewalks. Bernadita’s story helped more families see the importance of safe streets and brought attention to these conversations.

Greater involvement from the city, along with support from residents, is needed to create safer streets and lasting change in Fresno neighborhoods.

“Creating safer neighborhoods isn’t just a one-person job. It takes a village. It takes families. It takes community members. It takes nonprofits,” shared Samantha Garnicia-Perez, Volunteer Coordinator at Safe 2 School.

Intersections are another area that needs to be improved for safety. According to the Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan, “Over the 5-year period evaluated, 86% of all crashes occurred within 250 feet of an intersection. 82% of fatal and severe injury crashes occurred at intersections and 18% occurred at non-intersections.”

Crossing guards and parent volunteers at schools can help make these intersections safer for our students.

ENP has seen what can happen when residents have opportunities to identify problems and advocate for their neighborhoods. In 2019, ENP helped bring together more than 40 residents near West Fresno Elementary, where unsafe road and traffic conditions quickly became a top priority. Residents met with school leadership, city staff and their City Council representative, helping move an action plan forward that included new signage and planned road repaving.

That work continued in Southwest Fresno. In 2021, ENP partnered with residents and local organizations for a CalWalks street audit of A Street, California Avenue and Church Avenue. Residents identified missing infrastructure and other barriers firsthand, resulting in a CalWalks report with recommendations for safer, more accessible streets, including ideas for safer routes to school.

Residents also helped put potential solutions to the test. At Martin Luther King Jr. and California avenues, ENP and community partners temporarily installed a protected bike lane and creative crosswalk. More than 93% of surveyed participants said they felt safer walking because of the protected bike lane, and more than 91% felt safer because of the crosswalk. The demonstration gave residents data to support their calls for safer infrastructure.

These efforts show the role residents can play in creating safer streets. When people have opportunities to share what they experience every day, their input can help identify needs, test solutions and make the case for greater investment in Fresno neighborhoods.

Safer streets are possible, but Fresno needs people willing to be part of the solution.

VOLUNTEER
Help students get to school safely.
Safe 2 School trains volunteer crossing guards who help students safely cross busy streets before and after school. The organization has trained more than 1,000 volunteers and works with Fresno Unified and other local partners. You can volunteer, connect your school with the program or help spread the word.

VOTE
Support long-term investment in safer streets.
Measure S is a proposed 30-year transportation measure that would continue Fresno County’s existing half-cent transportation sales tax. The plan would provide dedicated funding to repair neighborhood roads and improve sidewalks, crosswalks, lighting, traffic signals, and walking and biking infrastructure. It also calls for completing 150 Safe Routes to School projects across Fresno County.

For Fresno families, this could mean more funding to address many of the concerns residents are already raising, including unsafe crossings, missing sidewalks, poorly maintained roads and routes to school that need safety improvements.

Measure S will be on the ballot for Fresno County voters in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Residents can learn more about the measure and get involved by signing on as a supporter, volunteering with the campaign or helping spread the word. Learn how to get involved at VoteYesOnS.com.

LEARN
Get equipped to advocate for land use decisions in your neighborhood.
ENP’s Community Land Use Academy (CLUA) helps Fresno residents understand how land use and development decisions are made and how they can have a voice in those decisions. Participants learn how to advocate for changes in their neighborhoods, including issues such as safer streets, crosswalks and other infrastructure. 

WALK
Request a walk audit in your neighborhood.
Want to gather input from your neighbors about the changes they’d like to see made on the routes their kids take to school or sidewalks they navigate every day? Contact ENP to begin the process of organizing a walk audit.