On Saturday, February 24th, Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) was honored to participate in District 2 Governing Board Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s first interactive community workshop on ways to stop illegal street racing and takeovers. Over 130 SD2 community members attended the event, which took place at the beautiful Magic Johnson Community Center in South LA.

Join us in attending a Zoom on the proposed “Potrero Canyon Pedestrian/Cycling Bridge Project on Thursday, March 14th.

Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) is excited to learn more about the “Potrero Canyon Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Project” at a community Zoom meeting on Thursday, March 14th, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The new bridge will span the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), connecting the city’s newest park, George Wolfberg Park, to Will Rogers Beach.

On Saturday, January 27th, people young and old, elected officials and advocates – over 125 individuals total – gathered on the west steps of Los Angeles City Hall loudly chanting, “What do we want? Safe Streets!! When do we want it? NOW!!!” and “Safe Streets Save Lives!” among other things. Everyone then laid down on the cold, hard steps for 3 minutes and 36 seconds. This poignant act served to both honor and protest the 336 victims who tragically lost their lives due to preventable traffic incidents in Los Angeles in 2023. The unified message resounded loudly: we refuse to accept the sluggish pace of safety improvements on our streets and the normalization of traffic-related tragedies.

After years of advocating for speed cameras as a non-police method of enforcing speed laws, Streets Are For Everyone was thrilled this past October when Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 645, allowing Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, San Francisco, and Oakland to pilot a speed camera safety pilot…

I have some good news related to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Okay, admittedly, I’m not ecstatic, jumping up and down for joy, but it’s at least something tangible that will help, to a degree, to save lives and make roads safer on PCH through Malibu.

SAFE's accomplishments in 2023 are best summed up by a comment made by a legislative staffer, "You guys are everywhere. I thought for sure you were a huge organization. You might be small, but you punch way above your weight."

By the Numbers

Our team is very proud of what we produced in 2023. Let's look at our accomplishments by the numbers and some of our highlights.

Why Los Angeles Gets an “F” Grade for 2023

I am starting this report with a question that anyone reading this must think about:

How many more Angelenos need to die before we, as a collective city, start treating traffic violence with the urgency it deserves?

In March, Angelenos will get a chance to vote for Measure HLA, which will speed up the implementation of the 2015 Mobility Plan to reduce transportation-related fatalities to Zero by 2035. The 2015 Mobility Plan proposed hundreds of miles of new bus-only lanes, protected bike lanes, and sidewalk/streetscape enhancements in pedestrian-heavy neighborhoods…

Good news! The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is continuing its safety and mobility improvements on Hollywood Blvd with additional work planned on the section of road between Gower St and Fountain Ave. LADOT will continue its engagement with the community regarding safety for those who walk, bike, and use public transit.

2023 was a rough year for Los Angeles. 330 victims died from traffic violence in the city, marking a 9% increase over 2022 and a 14% increase since 2021. This is the highest number of traffic fatalities in over 20 years.

Join us for a crucial call to action as we unite in this collective effort. Real change only occurs when we amplify our voices and make them resoundingly heard.

Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) and Faith For Safer Streets are excited to participate in this year’s Kingdom Day parade on January 15th from 9 am to 2 pm.

On December 31st, Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) placed a ghost tire for Trina Newman-Townsend, who tragically lost her life on December 24th, 2022, when a driver hit her as she was getting into her car on Broadway Ave at 88th Street.

Dooring is the #1 fear of urban cyclists, yet it can be prevented by a simple practice called the “Dutch Reach” or “Robert’s Reach,” as Robert’s wife Yasmine Nasser Diaz would like it to be known here in Los Angeles.

The latest fatality happened shortly after a show put on by California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin and other state transportation officials in a press conference about safety enhancements for the 21-mile highway weaving through Malibu.

At this press conference on Monday, 18 December, officials announced the green light for a (paltry) $4.2 million contract, enabling Caltrans to move forward with a roster of 30 upgrades.

Streets Are For Everyone, family members who have lost loved ones due to traffic violence, and the family of 15-year-old Felipe Manuell Infante-Avolos, affectionately known as Pipé, gathered this past Sunday, December 17th, to place a Ghost Tire Memorial on the corner of 110th and Main streets where Pipé was hit on October 27th. He died 12 days later, on November 8th.

This last Saturday, the Bahati Foundation held its 6th Annual "Motion Equals Healthy" Bike Giveaway. Streets Are For Everyone was proud to be a partner with the Bahati Foundation in helping to produce this event – helping to give 170 bicycles and helmets to underserved kids from around Los Angeles County. Kids were also taught basic cycling skills as part of a bicycle rodeo led by the Topanga Howlers. Every kid who finished received a beautiful medal from SAFE.

Cyclists will soon have smooth pedaling ahead on the LA River Bike Path near the Ferraro soccer fields. Once the Department of Recreation and Parks approves the laydown area permit, contractors will begin repairs on hazardous sections of the bike path sometime this winter.

After years of delays and foot dragging, construction work has finally commenced on the PCH Traffic Light Synchronization Project. Though community members have advocated for better safety and mobility conditions on PCH for decades, it took Caltrans until last week to commence construction on a project that was approved by the City of Malibu on 8 May 2017. In those intervening 6 years and 7 months of waiting, 29 people have been killed and 1139 people injured, including the 4 Pepperdine students who were recently killed by a speeding driver on 17 October 2023.

SAFE was delighted to join in the celebration marking the successful completion of the Safe Streets for 17th Street and Michigan Avenue Project. This is Santa Monica’s newest addition to their protected bike network, which connects Wilshire Boulevard to Pico Boulevard on 17th Street and Michigan Avenue from 14th to 19th Streets.

SAFE was thrilled to hear some climate-friendly news last week when Mayor Karen Bass announced federal and regional funding had been secured to combat the impact of climate change through city services in the Northeast San Fernando Valley and citywide. The eco-friendly measures supported by SAFE include planting additional trees, laying down cool pavement, and adding loads of new shaded bus shelters and street trees as early as 2024.