SAFE Streets Blog
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Griffith Park starts the largest upgrade, 4 million dollars worth, for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians in decades, possibly ever. Check out what’s coming.
Eric Morales, a 16-year-old student, was riding his bike to summer school when he was hit by a truck, leaving him in a coma for a month. Miraculously, he survived and is improving with physical and occupational therapy, but Eric's family still has a long road ahead; Eric has a traumatic brain injury and a permanent titanium rod in his right lower leg… read on to see what Eric is up to and how we have helped him.
Hollywood Boulevard is set to get a major upgrade, with construction due to start later this year. Including 3.6 miles of protected bike lanes, new crosswalks, wider sidewalks, and a dedicated bus lane. Take the survey from Council District 13 about these upgrades!
Have you ever cruised the Mark Bixby Bike Path across Long Beach's modern I-710 bridge and pictured riding all the way to San Pedro, Palos Verdes, and the South Bay? It's a captivating thought, isn't it? However, the reality is that there's currently no safe route for cyclists to ride between these two destinations. Fear not because there's hope on the horizon!
Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) is teaming up with a research professor from the Department of Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington to gather information on a super cool project about the future of transportation. Together, we're hoping to explore the impact of automated vehicles on different communities, especially those traditionally underserved.
Thanks to speedy repairs, cyclists can safely pedal ahead on the LA River Bike Path near the Ferraro soccer fields. The repairs began in late January and were made possible by advocacy efforts from Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE), Pasadena Athletic Association, the local cycling community, and Councilwoman Nithya Raman and District 4, who pushed the project forward.
In a landmark victory for the people of Los Angeles, Measure HLA has passed with resounding support, marking a pivotal moment in the city's transportation future. With an impressive 63.05% (as of March 6th) of the vote, Measure HLA triumphed in a landslide win on Tuesday, March 5th.
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.
The Malibu community group Fix PCH, of which Streets Are For Everyone is a part, hosted a poignant World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday, November 19th on PCH in Malibu. The event was attended by approximately 100 people, including family and friends of the 4 Pepperdine girls killed by a speeding driver on October 17th 2023; friends and family of Emily Shane, killed by a speeding driver in 2010; civic leaders; elected officials; community members and other families affected by traffic violence, both along PCH and elsewhere in the city.
Streets are For Everyone, Street Racing Kills and Faith for Safer Streets placed two ghost tires on Saturday, November 18th on El Segundo Blvd. One was to honor the life of 13 year old Michael Leon, who was killed on the 8th of January 2023 by a speeding driver, and one was for all traffic victims killed in Los Angeles County for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Here we are again, about to host our 11th Annual Finish The Ride and Finish The Run Griffith Park. It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this now for 11 years. It’s incredible how much it’s grown in that time.
Many of you know the basic history of Finish the Ride, how I was hit cycling in Griffith Park in 2013, dragged nearly a quarter mile under a car onto and down the 5 Freeway. How it was a hit-and-run, and I lost my leg and nearly my life. How Finish The Ride started as an advocacy campaign on hit-and-run crimes to help make roads safer for everyone. For those who have been at a Finish The Ride event, you’ve heard me describe the story, and I’ve described the story every year since the first year. I’ve told the simple story so many times I can almost say it in my sleep (check with my wife, I likely do!)
Most of you don’t know that Finish The Ride, the deep roots of Finish The Ride, actually goes back to 1-2 days after I was hit. I was in intensive care at LAC+USC Hospital (now LA County General Hospital), and I was waking up from my first emergency surgery, where the doctors officially amputated what was left of my right leg.