Great news for those of us who love hiking and biking the car-free roads and trails of Griffith Park: the worst of the potholes that have plagued Mt. Hollywood Drive have been filled!

The City of LA's unveiled its Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program (STAP) on June 27 with a ribbon-cutting in Reseda, at the site of a brand-new bus shelter on the corner of Victory and Reseda. Learn how the City plans to use STAP to make bus travel safer, more comfortable and more accessible for people across Los Angeles.

On Monday, June 17, California State Senator Scott Wiener brought his bill, SB 961, to the Assembly Transportation Committee, and the Senator didn’t mince words about the danger flying across California streets every minute of every day.

SAFE celebrated the end of May with a trio of legislative successes. Three SAFE-supported bills related to speeding passed the full California Senate — Senate Bills 1297, 961, and 1509 — on May 20,21, and 22, respectively.

Here’s a quick rundown of what these bills aim to accomplish and why we at SAFE think they’re important steps in making our streets safer for everyone.

The Active Transportation Program (ATP), a state program created to encourage active modes of transportation like walking and biking, is under threat. Each two-year funding cycle, the ATP divvies up roughly $500 million to worthwhile transit projects, but, without continued pressure from concerned Californians, money that could go to climate-friendly transit solutions will instead, once again, get pumped into highways.

The City of Glendale has completed its North Brand Boulevard Complete Streets Demonstration Project, which has transformed the half-mile stretch of Brand into a multi-modal corridor, complete with barrier-protected lanes and colorfully painted intersection bumpouts.

For some Southern California communities, street racing, street takeovers, and individuals doing donuts and burnouts are regular annoyances. For some communities, it’s resulted in people killed or severely injured. Over the years, Streets Are For Everyone has been working to address this on many fronts – working with victims, advocates, and electeds to change laws, improve infrastructure, educate, and enforce the law. For the last ten months, SAFE has also been working with Supervisor Holly Mitchell's office, Street Racing Kills, and other LA County departments to put together a community conference to look at strategies to help end illegal street racing and street takeovers.

TODAY, Senate Bill 1509 (Stern) passed through the full California Senate with a 27 to 1 vote and now advances to the Assembly.

What is SB 1509?

In 2020, 1,228 people died in California from speed-related collisions, and in 2021, the number increased, with 1509 Californians losing their lives due to speeding. SB 1509 aims to increase accountability for drivers by increasing the number of violation points associated with driving 26 mph above the speed limit to two violation points.

On Saturday, May 18th, Streets Are For Everyone and partners from the County invite you to a comprehensive community symposium dedicated to addressing the issue of illegal street racing and street takeovers. This event will assemble experts actively combating these activities alongside residents like yourself to exchange perspectives, generate solutions, and formulate recommendations for ending illegal street racing and takeovers.

Streets Are For Everyone celebrated its eighth annual Streets, Art, SAFE Film Competition on May 4 at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles!

This year’s Streets, Art, SAFE Film Competition was the largest yet: over 360 students from 29 schools across 5 CA counties as well as schools in AZ and FL competed, and, for the first year, the competition featured regional awards to acknowledge the growing impact of these students’ messages.

As we roll into May, we're not just marking the onset of warmer weather and blooming flowers; we're also kicking off National Bike Month, a nationwide celebration started by the League of American Bicyclists. All around Los Angeles and neighboring communities, a plethora of bike-centric activities are planned, beckoning newcomers to join the movement. So don’t worry; whether you're a daily commuter, a weekend explorer, or someone who relishes the wind in your hair, May is the month to ditch your car and try biking. Read on for some Bike Month activities near you!

Imagine waking up one day to discover that you have cancer, and you don't know how to handle it. Medical bills pile up, and finding the right doctor for treatment feels impossible. Should you even seek treatment or just give up? Everything gets caught in a spiral of confusion, and no one seems to have the time to stop and talk.

Many people live in this spiral. However, in this case, "cancer" is a traumatic traffic collision…

After four years of advocacy, Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) celebrated a significant milestone last October when Governor Newsom signed the speed camera safety bill (AB 645) into law. With the passage of this law, six California cities—Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose—were given the green light to roll out a five-year speed-camera pilot program. AB 645 requires that the cameras be used only on designated high-injury/high-speed roads, known street racing corridors, and around school zones. 

Unfortunately, tragedy struck just weeks after the law's enactment…

Griffith Park starts the largest upgrade, 4 million dollars worth, for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians in decades, possibly ever. Check out what’s coming.

The new California Legislative term began this past February, and numerous transportation safety bills were introduced. SAFE focuses on the most important of these bills—supporting, requesting amendments, or opposing them. Here are the bills Streets Are For Everyone will support in 2024.

Dust is still settling on our sneakers, and the cheering still echoes in our ears – what an amazing weekend! We just wrapped up our biggest and best Finish The Ride and Finish The Run Griffith Park ever on April 6th and 7th. It was a triumphant return to The Autry Museum after a few years away, and the energy was incredible.

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.

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.

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!