SAFE Blog

 
Louie Opatz Louie Opatz

SAFE’s Traffic Safety PSAs Now Playing Across the US

SAFE is excited to announce that we’ve partnered with GSTV to bring excerpts of award-winning student films from the Streets, Art, SAFE Film Competition to gas-pump screens across the United States. 

The films started airing at GSTV sites today, and the award-winning student films will continue to air until September 15 in honor of National Traffic Awareness Month in August. 

“We look forward to showcasing and amplifying the work of these talented young filmmakers through our platform in partnership with Streets Are For Everyone,” said Kristina Lutz, GSTV’s Executive Vice President of Marketing. “Your work is compelling and impactful, and introducing this content to drivers when they are just about to get back on the road is the perfect time to remind them about safety precautions.”

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Louie Opatz Louie Opatz

Is Hollywood Boulevard Ready for its Closeup?

Phase 1 of construction on the Hollywood Boulevard Safety and Mobility Project is complete, and the 2.1 mile stretch (from Gower to St to Lyman Pl) of the iconic street has lost one lane of car traffic in each direction to provide for a slower, safer Hollywood experience.

Come celebrate the completion of Phase 1 at CicLAvia: Meet the Hollywoods on Sunday, August 18th — and don’t forget to say hi to SAFE! CicLAvia will be both a celebration of the Hollywood Blvd improvements and a chance to learn more about the forthcoming Phase 2, which will continue on Sunset Blvd to Fountain Ave, connecting the Sunset Ave and Hollywood Blvd bike lanes and resolving the gnarly intersection at Hollywood Blvd/Hillhurst Ave/Sunset Ave/Sunset Dr.

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Louie Opatz Louie Opatz

Tell Caltrans to Slow Down the PCH in Malibu

Want a say in the future of the PCH in Malibu? Register here to join the Caltrans virtual public workshop on July 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Malibu has long been one of the most dangerous driving cities in the United States. Since 2010, 61 people have been killed by traffic violence along Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway — year after year, it seems another ghost tire is added to a memorial that already honors too many.

Concerned Malibu citizens and organizations like Streets Are For Everyone have been begging Caltrans, who operates the Pacific Coast Highway, to help slow down the vehicles that are killing people on the PCH every year.

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Louie Opatz Louie Opatz

Why Does the Auto Industry Oppose Safety Improvements? Part 2: How They Killed Speed Governors in 1923

After California State Senator Scott Wiener addressed the Assembly Transportation Committee on June 17 to introduce his Senate Bill 961, which would require passive speed governors on new cars manufactured in the state by 2028, it was his opposition’s turn to speak.

In a 52-second video that was viewed more than 500,000 times on X (f.k.a. Twitter), representatives from the California Chamber of Commerce, Mercedes Benz, and other auto industry groups take their turns at the podium, quickly voicing their opposition before the next industry mouthpiece steps up to do the same.

What were all these auto industry organizations opposing? Nothing so sinister as your car gently reminding you that you’re speeding — with significant exceptions, and not until model year 2030, and, of course, you’re free to ignore the alert.

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Louie Opatz Louie Opatz

City Unveils New Bus Shelter Program in Reseda

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.

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Louie Opatz Louie Opatz

Update on Three SAFE-supported Bills on Speeding

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.

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Louie Opatz Louie Opatz

Tell Gov. Newsom to Preserve Funding for Healthy Streets

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.

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Louie Opatz Louie Opatz

Brand New Bike Lanes for Glendale’s Brand Blvd.

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.

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Damian Kevitt Damian Kevitt

First Ever Symposium on Street Racing and Street Takeovers

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.

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Policy and Legislation Streets Are For Everyone Policy and Legislation Streets Are For Everyone

Good News - SB 1509 Targeting Egregious Speeders Advances

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.

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Jane Stuecken Jane Stuecken

Community Symposium

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.

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Streets Art SAFE, Education Louie Opatz Streets Art SAFE, Education Louie Opatz

SAFE Celebrates 8th Annual Streets, Art, SAFE Film Competition

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.

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Jane Stuecken Jane Stuecken

Ride and Celebrate National Bike Month with Exciting Activities

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!

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Dayna Galbreath Dayna Galbreath

Imagine If…

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…

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Jane Stuecken Jane Stuecken

SB 1297: Malibu's Speed Safety Pilot Program Clears Senate Transportation Committee; Potential Speed Cameras on PCH After Tragic Pepperdine Student Deaths

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…

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Dayna Galbreath Dayna Galbreath

Streets Are For Everyone Announces 2024 Legislative Agenda

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.

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Carlos Lucas Pulido Carlos Lucas Pulido

We Crushed It at Griffith Park: Finish The Ride & Finish The Run 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.

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