Tenth Street, between Church Street and U.S. 101, is the most dangerous section of road in Gilroy for motorists, according to a routine traffic study released by the Gilroy Police Department.
In the past five years, the half-mile strip of a two-lane boulevard that passes through four-way stoplight intersections at Monterey, Alexander and Chestnut streets, has been host to 63 automobile collisions, GPD data reveals.
Thirty-one of those accidents were speed-related, police say. Two-thirds of them were at intersections – the remaining one-third occurred mid-block. Tenth Street is a popular, heavily trafficked vehicle crossover from downtown Gilroy to Highway 101 as well as the big-box shopping centers on the eastside of town at Gilroy Crossing, such as Target, Kohl’s and Barnes & Noble.
The second most collision-rich road is Monterey Street between First and Third streets, with 49 total car crashes from January 2008 to December 2012, according to GPD data. About 20 percent were reported as speed-related collisions.
Tied for third are Monterey Road between Las Animas Avenue and Leavesley Road; and Murray Avenue from Leavesley Road to IOOF Avenue, each being the spot for 48 crashes in the last five years.
Church Street as a whole is a car crash magnet in Gilroy, especially in the areas between First and 10th streets, data shows. Combined, the different sections of Church Street saw 169 car crashes in the last five years.
GPD data did not differentiate between major or minor collisions.
For bicyclists, Church Street and Westwood Drive were particularly dangerous spots. There were a total of 87 bicycle and pedestrian collisions in the major roadways in Gilroy, with Church Street and Westwood Drive being particularly dangerous spots, according to police.
1. Tenth Street, between Church Street and U.S. 101 – 63
2. Monterey Road, between First Street and Third Street – 49
3. Monterey Road, between Las Animas Avenue and Leavesly Road – 48
4. Murray Avenue, between Leavesley Road and IOOF Avenue – 48
5. Church Street, between First and Sixth Street – 43
6. Church Street between Sixth and 10th Street – 43
7. Leavesley Road, between San Ysidro Avenue – 41
8. Chestnut Street, between Old Gilroy Street and 10th Street – 36
9. Wren Avenue, between Welburn Avenue and First Street – 33
10. Arroyo Circle, between Leavesley Road and Camino Arroyo – 31
