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Efforts To Reduce Traffic Fatalities On L.A. Streets Fail To Address Rise In Fatalities
It was a clear afternoon in April when Frederick Frazier, being the good friend that he was, hopped on his bike to help a friend fix a flat tire. Little did he know it would be the last time he answered a call for help, as he was hit from behind by a Porsche Cayenne in the curb lane of Manchester Avenue. His blue and white bicycle was shattered as his body was catapulted more than 50 feet through the air. As he took his last breaths, the driver quickly drove away from the scene.
Taking Action
To help prevent future incidents like this one, the city installed more visible crosswalks, yield signs, and even digital signs that inform drivers of their speeds on Manchester. This street happens to be one of the areas in Los Angeles with a high rate of traffic fatalities for bicyclists and pedestrians alike. Some activists are pleased with the additions, but strongly agree that they are just the beginning and do not go far enough.
Frazierโs friend, Edin Barrientos, 27, a bike messenger, has been doing everything possible to get a bike lane installed on this dangerous street. โNo oneโs life is worth you driving that fast or that recklessly,โ he laments.
In the aftermath of tragic accidents like Frederick Frazier’s, victims and their families often face overwhelming emotional and financial burdens. Seeking legal representation from a traffic accident lawyer can help victims understand their rights, pursue compensation for injuries and losses, and seek accountability from negligent drivers for their actions.
Vision Zero Comes To L.A.
Mayor Eric Garcetti initiated Vision Zero to eliminate traffic deaths on every Los Angeles street by 2025. You would expect some forward movement at nearly five years into this project, but unfortunately, the opposite is true.
According to a Vision Zero safety study by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the number of annual traffic fatalities increased by approximately 20% between 2017 and 2021, rising from 246 to 294 collisions. Perhaps even more startling is that more people died in traffic accidents than from being shot to death in Los Angeles, according to data released by the coroner.
Is There Progress For Vision Zero on The Streets of Los Angeles?
There has been a noticeable decline in the number of traffic deaths in the past two years. City officials credit new street safety projects for this reduction. Although traffic deaths declined slightly from 2017 to 2018, fatalities among pedestrians and bicyclists continued to be a major concern. However, speeding-related accidents continue to be a significant concern, as they contribute to a substantial number of fatalities on the roads.
Mayor Garcetti admits that although it could be faster and better, it was an improvement. An improvement that does not meet the early benchmarks of Vision Zero, such as a 20 percent reduction in deaths that should have been achieved in 2017. According to advocates of the program, Los Angeles drivers and elected officials lack the sense of urgency required to deal with the problem effectively. Without urgency, they say, the city will not come anywhere near eliminating traffic-related fatalities by 2025.
Differing Standards In Reporting
What makes this issue even more complicated is that progress is measured in many ways when a deadly crash occurs. Vision Zero began in January 2014 in New York. Under the program, progress is often measured using 2013, the year before the initiative began. By 2017, New York City reported a reduction in traffic fatalities, and after five years, the city reported approximately a 33% drop in traffic deaths compared to the 2013 baseline.
According to Transportation Department spokesman Oliver Hou, progress has been measured in Los Angeles since 2016, as it was the first full year the initiative was in effect. Using that date, deaths have dropped by seven percent. Of note, 2016 was also the deadliest year for traffic crashes on record, including pedestrian accidents and motor vehicle incidents.ย In December 2016, Vision Zero had been in place for 18 months in Los Angeles. Officials and advocates alike question whether 2016 should be used as the baseline year.
What Changes Have Been Implemented?
For the past five years, officials in Los Angeles have been analyzing traffic fatality data, devising ways to make speed limits more enforceable, and installing upgrades on dozens of streets with high fatality rates in the city.
Numerous changes to the streets were made by the Transportation Department in 2017 and 2018. To force drivers to slow down, they:
- Changed the timing on traffic signals.
- Added fresh paint to hundreds of crosswalks.
- Installed white plastic posts at dozens of street corners.
Of Los Angeles’ 40 hazardous streets, 26, including Manchester, were given new safety features. Six additional larger reconstruction projects are also in the works and will include:
- Street resurfacing
- Installation of traffic signals.
- Installation of sidewalks and protected bike lanes.
Daniel Samaro, a senior engineer with the cityโs Vision Zero program, states, โwe are headed in the right direction. We are working in the right places. We will get back on track.โ
Makeovers of major corridors will be funded with money raised from the additional funding of the same senate bill that increased Californiaโs gas tax and vehicle fees. In 2018, the Mayor increased the budget for traffic and safety improvements compared to the previous year. The budget increase was funded by the cityโs general fund, revenue from the Senate Bill tax, and Measure M (the 2016 sales tax increase to support transportation projects).
Is The Push To Eliminate Traffic Fatalities on L.A. Streets Working?
โWeโre doing little Band-Aid improvements,โ explains Deborah Murphy, founder of Los Angeles Walks, a pedestrian advocacy organization. โUntil we change the physical construction of our streets, people are not going to perceive them differently. They are going to continue to speed.โ
Not making this goal easy, California law creates its own catch-22, causing cities to raise their own speed limits in order to make them enforceable. Laws mandate that if a speed limit on a major street is outdated or does not match the natural flow of traffic, then law enforcement agencies are unable to use electronic devices to hold speeders accountable in these areas.
In light of these challenges, injury attorneys can play a vital role. If the government seems to be doing less to promote safety on the streets, it may be held liable for accidents.
The Catch-22 of Speed Limits
Ushering in the first two years of Vision Zero, hundreds of miles of expired speed limits were studied and updated by Los Angeles city officials. This allowed the Los Angeles Police Department to go back to issuing speeding tickets and caused the increase of speed limits on almost 200 miles of streets.
Faster driving to be able to enforce speed limits is not a fair exchange. Speed is a substantial factor in whether a crash leads to fatality. A pedestrian has a ten percent risk of death if they are hit by a vehicle that is moving 20 mph, but that risk skyrockets to 80 percent if the car speed doubles to 40mph. If you or a loved one has been harmed in such an incident, consulting a pedestrian accident lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and options.
Los Angeles Road Diets
According to Murphy, one way to encourage drivers to drive slower is to remove a travel lane. These โroad dietsโ decrease the space and can potentially reduce severe injuries and deaths on roadways by 47 percent, according to data provided by the federal government. For example, in 2017, Venice Boulevardโs Westside arterial was narrowed over nearly a mile stretch. However, many Los Angeles drivers shudder at the thought of fewer lanes, which could complicate their driving routines.
Also, in 2017, Mar Vista and Playa del Rey underwent downsizing of nine miles of their roadways, causing lawsuits and hundreds of complaints. This move was the focus of an attempted recall by Councilman Mike Bonin. As such, many of these changes were reversed within only a few months. Since that experience, transportation officials have been hesitant about reliving it.
Concerns Over Gentrification Slow Vision Zero
Barrientos, along with other supporters, is working to increase support for a bike lane on Manchester by talking to business owners, community groups, and even churches. It is common knowledge to residents here that the street is deadly, but those who live, work, and worship in the area are concerned that a bike lane could usher in gentrification to one of Los Angelesโs last affordable communities.
The master document for bike and bus lanes for Los Angeles outlines a protected bicycle lane along 3.6 miles of Manchester, between L.A.โs border with Inglewood and Central Avenue in Florence.
Injured In A Pedestrian Or Bike Accident? Call An Experienced California Car Accident Lawyer
If you are injured while driving, walking, or on your bike on a Los Angeles roadway, our Los Angeles personal injury attorneys can guide you through the claims process and work to determine who is liable for your injuries. Liability could rest with multiple parties, including a municipality where the accident occurred, as well as other drivers.
Contact Arash Law at (888) 488-1391 or complete our โDo I Have A Case?โ form here for a free initial consultation with an experienced California car accident lawyer from our firm. Our dedicated lawyers have helped victims of car, bike, pedestrian, and motorcycle accidents pursue compensation for their injuries and losses. We have decades of experience serving accident victims in California, including San Francisco, Riverside, San Jose, San Diego, Sacramento, Sherman Oaks, and other areas.
