Emily Keram
Vision Zero Oakmont
November marks California’s Office of Traffic Safety annual “Slow the Fast Down” campaign, making it the perfect opportunity to introduce Vision Zero, the City of Santa Rosa’s proactive traffic safety initiative, to Oakmont and to solicit OVA member input into the City’s plan to repave Oakmont’s public streets in 2027.
What is Vision Zero?
Vision Zero is a multi-national road safety initiative built on a simple but profound premise: no loss of life on our roadways is acceptable. Vision Zero treats traffic collisions as preventable system failures. Responsibility for road safety involves collaboration between city planners, engineers, law enforcement and the community. By combining data-driven street design, targeted traffic enforcement, and public education, the City of Santa Rosa aims to completely eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safety for everyone.
Vision Zero Oakmont
Whether you are driving, biking, walking, enjoying a morning jog, using mobility-assistance, or driving a golf cart, everyone deserves to feel safe on our streets. To directly address local road safety and protect all road users, the Oakmont Village Association has formed a dedicated Vision Zero Oakmont (VZO) workgroup, which includes Roni Davis, Jennie Richards, and Emily Keram, and is led by OVA’s general manager, Christel Antone. This group is actively collaborating with the City of Santa Rosa to adapt Vision Zero principles to our roads through community education, examining speeding trends, and finding ways to improve the road sharing experience.
Looking Ahead: 2027 Street Repaving Project
The timing of these safety efforts is crucial. The City of Santa Rosa is scheduled to repave all of Oakmont’s public streets in 2027. This infrastructure upgrade offers an opportunity to integrate Vision Zero principles directly into our physical environment.
To ensure our community’s needs are identified and prioritized, VZO recently met with city officials to discuss the paving upcoming project. This meeting allowed us to discuss built-in pedestrian safety enhancements—such as clearer crosswalk high-visibility markings, better signage, and potential traffic-calming measures—before the asphalt is even poured.
Share Your Safety Concerns
The City has asked us to compile a list of community concerns to share with Santa Rosa’s Traffic Engineer. We are actively seeking your feedback to make the 2027 repaving project as effective as possible. Your insights will directly inform the City’s plans.
Are there specific intersections where drivers routinely fail to stop or yield? Do you notice areas with obstructed sightlines? Do you have suggestions for the placement of additional crosswalks? Please submit these and any other specific road safety concerns and feedback directly to the Oakmont Village Association at askova@oakmontvillage.com by Dec. 10.
Together, we can build a safer Oakmont for all road users.