Griffith Park Street Safety
At 3:45 pm on the 16th of April, Andrew Jelmert was struck and killed while cycling in Griffith Park. He was pedaling the final stretch of a 67-mile training ride in preparation for a 545-mile ride from San Francisco to LA benefiting the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. He was killed by a speeding driver who also appeared to have been drinking. This occurred close to where the founder of SAFE, Damian Kevitt, lost his leg and almost his life to a hit & run driver in 2013 who was never caught.
Griffith Park is the largest park in the United States which still allows private cars. It is a haven for the community and a popular destination for cyclists, runners, walkers, equestrians, golfers, and families with young children - getting out for some physical activity and get-togethers. Yet the few existing bike lanes do not have barriers separating riders from cars. The posted speed limit is 25 MPH, but many drivers go 40 - 60 MPH using Griffith Park as a way to avoid the crowded 5 freeway.
Need For Change
Our first action in Griffith Park following the tragic passing of Andrew Jelmert was to honor his life and work at a vigil held at the site of the crash in Griffith Park. Close to 300 fellow cyclists came out to show their respect and support.
At this vigil, it was also recognized that enough is enough; change is needed to take back the park. A park for the community, not the commute. A haven to go to and enjoy, not to be used as a cut-through.
Concurrent with this activism, we offered support to the husband of Andrew and assisted him in any way needed as part of our SAFE Support program.
Community Activism
We launched a petition to City Council District 4 and the Griffith Park Superintendent to get needed improvements in the park. We spread the word on this petition far and wide through media and grass-roots actions. The petition was picked up in national coverage.
We partnered with two other non-profit organizations: the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and Streets For All, to continue advocacy efforts for park safety.
Several concerned community members joined with SAFE and banded together to form the Griffith Park Action Team. Together, we got the word out about the petition and did our speed study on key roads in the park.
We presented this information to park officials and the media to raise awareness of the very real safety problem of Griffith Park being used as a cut-through with cars traveling up to 40 mph over the posted speed limit.
Griffith Park Action Team Member Doing Speed Surveys
Results and Next Steps
Councilmember of CD4, Nithya Raman, LA Department of Parks and Recs, and The Griffith Park Advisory Board heard all this community outcry.
The Council District 4 office, along with consulting firm Kimley Horn and the Dept of Recs and Parks, conducted the Griffith Park Safety & Mobility Improvements Feasibility Study, which identifies and proposes short-, medium-, and long-term improvements to make Griffith Park a safer and more enjoyable place for all.
The first step taken was to close a portion of Griffith Park Drive. This eliminates a portion of cut-through traffic in the park and does not restrict access to any park areas.
State Assemblymember Laura Friedman secured $4 million in funding from the state to get these safety improvements started.
We want to thank Councilmember Nithya Raman and Asm. Laura Friedman for listening to the community and their leadership in Griffith Park.
The latest version of the Griffith Park Safety & Mobility Improvements Feasibility Study is now available, and feedback is being gathered from the community on this. You can submit your feedback here.
