Grand Jury Calls Friant and Shepherd Fresno’s Most Dangerous Intersection, Demands City Action

A Fresno County Civil Grand Jury report is calling the intersection of Friant Road and Shepherd Avenue the most dangerous in the city, demanding additional safety measures after nearly a year of studying the area.

The report follows two crashes at the intersection within three days of each other earlier this year. More than 80% of incidents at the intersection were caused by drivers running red lights, according to the grand jury’s findings.

“They need to do something about it. It’s clearly a problem,” said James Haring, a Fresno resident of 79 years.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer disputed the grand jury’s characterization. “It was the number one unsafe intersection in Fresno. Today, it’s not in the top 10. A lot of that has to do with some of the things that we’ve done as a city,” Dyer said.

The city has already committed $2.5 million toward improvements at the intersection, announced shortly after the back-to-back crashes in February and March. Dyer said those efforts have already produced results, but added: “That’s not to say we’re going to stop there. What we really want to do is stress to motorists to be careful.”

A study by the law firm Jacoby & Meyers found that the intersection experienced 21 crashes between 2020 and 2024. The grand jury’s report also cited videos from the YouTube channel “Friant Roulette,” which documents crashes at the intersection, as evidence that red-light running is a recurring problem.

The grand jury identified a key design issue: the slight left-hand curve on Friant doesn’t allow drivers approaching Shepherd to see the intersection and all stop lights until they’re 280 yards out. The primary collision pattern involves northbound traffic on Friant impeding westbound traffic from Shepherd turning southbound onto Friant.

“We have children now that are out there on e-bikes and scooters, and so it really is a time for our folks, our motorists in Fresno, to be extra cautious and extra careful,” Dyer said.

The Breakdown

• The grand jury issued 11 recommendations, including additional signage, increased police presence, more flashing warning lights, and changes to the intersection’s design.
• The city must formally respond to all findings and recommendations within 90 days under state procedures.
• City Manager Georgeanne A. White said the city is reviewing the report and “will respond within the required timeframe,” adding that “pedestrian and traffic safety remains a priority for the City of Fresno.”
• The grand jury report notes “agreement from all parties that increased police presence and enforcement activities would lead to a decrease in accidents and incidents for this intersection.”

What This Means for You

The City Council will need to decide whether to accept the grand jury’s recommendations — including increased police enforcement and design changes — or publicly explain why they’re declining them. That 90-day response timeline puts this decision squarely in front of your elected representatives.

What You Can Do

The city has 90 days from the report’s release to respond to the grand jury. Contact your City Council member or attend a council meeting during that window to weigh in on whether the recommended safety measures — police enforcement, design changes, additional signage — should be funded and implemented. You can also contact Mayor Jerry Dyer’s office directly to share your experience with the intersection.

What to Watch

The city says it’s already spent $2.5 million on this intersection and that the improvements have worked — but the grand jury studied the area for nearly a year and still called it the most dangerous in Fresno. One side is measuring success by a drop in ranking; the other is measuring it by whether crashes are still happening at all.

The city’s 90-day response will show which measurement wins. Will the council fund the grand jury’s additional recommendations — more enforcement, design changes, warning systems — or will they point to the money already spent and call it done?

There’s also a harder question here: if a curve in the road means drivers can’t see the lights until they’re 280 yards out, and 80% of crashes are from running red lights, is this a driver-behavior problem or a design problem the city built and left in place? The grand jury is saying it’s both, and both need fixing. The city’s response will show whether they agree.