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.

Every year, on the 3rd Sunday of November, organizations and individuals gather to commemorate World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. It is high high-profile global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families, and communities.

This day has also become an important tool to advocate and call for an end to the preventable epidemic of traffic violence in Southern California and across the US. This year, we call attention to one specific deadly road, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), and call for tangible and effective action by CalTrans to slow down and fix PCH.

Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 645, authored by Asm Laura Friedman and cosponsored by SAFE, Streets for All, and Walk San Francisco! This means changes coming to school zones and high-injury intersections starting in 2024…

Trees were trimmed, debris and garbage scooped up, and lanes were swept, as volunteers fanned out on Venice Boulevard for a bike lane cleanup, organized by People Powered Media and SAFE.

Streets Are For Everyone has entered into a partnership with People Powered Media, a new publication from journalist Sam-Omar Hall. The two institutions will collaborate on articles, events, and advocacy.

It’s back-to-school time, and families are working out how to safely get their kids to school.  Parents worry about road safety, especially when they aren’t the driver. Will drivers slow down near my child’s school? Will those driving bigger and heavier vehicles see my kids when they’re crossing the street? Will passing cars be going the proper speed limit in a school zone? 

SAFE is proud to participate (along with the National Coalition for Safer Roads and Verra Mobility) in spreading the message of National Stop on Red Week, August 6th - 12th, which serves as an important reminder of the dangers we face on our roads and the responsibility we all hold to Stop on Red.