A widow is asking city hall to make more proactive steps in preventing pedestrian accidents. Her husband was killed last month while walking on a crosswalk in Santa Monica. According to news reports, she hopes city planners and police will make the city safer for pedestrians by limiting vehicle traffic. “The loss of a life on our streets is a wake-up call that we need to do things in a new and different way,” she wrote. “By improving driver education and by making changes to the street design we can reduce the likelihood of it being repeated.” She also requested that officers conduct regular “failure to yield to pedestrian” stings.
Bicycle safety advocates also would like to increase safety by lowering traffic and speed limits for drivers. Among the safety improvements she requested, angled crosswalks which make it easier for pedestrians and drivers to see eye-to-eye, and crosswalks with a “pedestrian refuge” in the middle. Meetings are underway to determine a bicycle master plan which will recommend improvements for bicyclist safety, due to 116 people being injured in Santa Monica bicycle crashes, the worst number among 104 similarly sized cities. As an Oakland personal injury lawyer, I look forward to hearing more about these plans to upgrade safety for pedestrians and cyclists. If you or a loved one are harmed in a bicycle or pedestrian collision, consult with a personal injury attorney Oakland regarding your case.
