Click on the video above or below to learn about Operation Slow Down from Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Annalisa Perea, City Manager Georgeanne White, and Police Chief Paco Balderrama.

Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Annalisa Perea, backed by the administration of Mayor Jerry Dyer, unveiled a plan on Wednesday to make Fresno’s deadly streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.

Under the proposed Operation Slow Down, the city would comb through data to identify the city’s 10 most dangerous intersections and come up with a plan to make them safer.

On Thursday, the city council unanimously approved the plan.

Twice as Many Traffic Fatalities as Homicides in 2023

During a news conference at Audubon and Del Mar Avenues, Police Chief Paco Balderrama noted that Fresno has had about twice as many traffic fatalities as homicides (10) so far this year.

Balderrama also said that his officers have written nearly 10,000 traffic citations, including 4,200 for speeding, in 2023.

On Friday, May 10, officers wrote 120 citations for violations by drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists during a special traffic enforcement operation.

However, all of the officials speaking Wednesday said that enforcement must be accompanied by an education campaign relaying the dangers of distracted driving.

Additionally, Karbassi said at the news conference that a traffic signal and crosswalks would be installed at Audubon and Del Mar to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety.

Seventh-Worst Drivers in the Nation

In October 2022, the website QuoteWizard ranked Fresno drivers as seventh-worst in the nation based on collisions, DUIs, speeding, and traffic citations.