RICHMOND — With speeding and sideshows occupying intersections still a persistent issue in Richmond, councilmembers are set to consider directing staff to urgently identify measures to bring safety to city streets.
An item on Tuesday night’s Richmond City Council agenda calls for staff to identify traffic calming measures that would abate speeding and donuts in at least six areas throughout the city in an effort to address a serious public safety risk that’s resulted in property damage, injuries and death in the last year alone.
“I’d venture to say that no city street is safe,” said Richmond Police Capt. Matt Stonebraker during a monthly crime prevention meeting focused on sideshows held on Oct. 23.
The staff report for the item, brought forward by Councilmember Cesar Zepeda, did not specify which six locations should be studied but Canal Boulevard was called out as a specific area of concern.
In mid-October, a 16-year-old was killed and her 11-year-old sister injured in a speeding accident on the 600 block of Canal Boulevard.
Richmond officers arrested nine people and impounded four cars just weeks ago in response to a sideshow with more than 50 vehicles and 200 participants on the same street.
Sideshows have also occurred near Hilltop Mall. Participants of a large sideshow in late September damaged multiple cars at nearby auto dealerships and a Richmond Police Department vehicle, the department shared on its social media platforms.
The “well organized” unauthorized events, which have grown in size, are occurring nearly every weekend and pull in crowds from outside the region, Stonebraker said.
“It’s dangerous not only for the participants, not only for the spectators, but for the community at large and everyone around them or anybody that’s there,” Stonebraker said. “It’s dangerous. We want them to stop and we’re doing everything we can at this point to curb that.”
Mayor Eduardo Martinez made his stance on the issue clear in an Oct. 1 Facebook post. Martinez, who has advocated for creating a space where sideshows can occur legally, said he is not in support of and has never encouraged breaking the law.
The mayor noted in his post that sideshows — a term he’s wary of using because it does not fully encompass all types of reckless driving and can be used to demonize different parts of the community — are a regional issue.
Similarly, Stonebraker said it’s typical for sideshows to travel from San Jose, through the East Bay and San Francisco, up to Sacramento. About 15 sideshows occurred in September alone, an average of about three a week, said Sgt. Enrik Melgoza during the October crime prevention meeting.
To address the problem locally, Martinez said the city is working on hiring additional personnel, collaborating with neighboring agencies and deploying Flock cameras that collect vehicle information used to track down suspects.
“I am fully committed to ensuring that our city remains safe for all residents, businesses, and visitors,” Martinez said. “These lawless actions do not represent the values of our Richmond residents, and we will do everything in our power to protect our community.”
Police spokesperson Lynelle Sanchez said the department is also routinely monitoring for speeding in key corridors like Macdonald Avenue and 23rd Street. Officers issued 17 citations to drivers who failed to yield to pedestrians or were speeding near crosswalks during a recent traffic operation, she said.
If the council back’s Zepeda’s request, staff would be directed to return before the end of January 2025 with identified traffic calming measures.
Tawfic Halaby, deputy Public Works director of operations and maintenance, said during last month’s crime prevention meeting that the department is reaching out to neighboring jurisdictions to determine what types of measures have been successful.
In the meantime, Sanchez encouraged the public to do their part in preventing traffic accidents by driving safely.
“We really need the community to come together to make sure everyone stays safe,” Sanchez said. “Everybody’s in a rush trying to get home and feed their kids, but as residents we can do our part to help each other, especially around gatherings of people before and after school.”
Zepeda did not immediately respond to requests for comment.