Fatal crash leads to road safety improvement efforts
Aili Forster / The Samohi
The memorial at the scene of the fatal crash marks the installation of two more stop signs, now a four-way-stop.
On Oct. 27 a car crash on 19th street and Idaho resulted in the death of a 69-year-old female cyclist. Two weeks after her death, a non-fatal cyclist crash occurred in the same intersection. The intersection contained a two-way stop sign on Idaho, but not on 19th street. According to Santa Monica’s Local Roadway Safety Plan, between the years of 2015 and 2019, Santa Monica has experienced 2,334 road collisions with 125 of them being fatal. Due to this incident and other road safety incidents, Santa Monica City Council voted to strengthen its Vision Zero plan to help reduce road-related injuries.
Due to Vision Zero, the intersection has now been turned into a four-way stop sign to prevent any similar injuries in the future. Santa Monica City Council has implemented several road safety programs such as “Vision Zero” and “Local Roadway Safety Plan” to help ensure those using the roads are in safe conditions.
Vision Zero was implemented in 2016 to make the streets of Santa Monica completely safe by 2026. The main strategies within the program include infrastructure improvements, data that can pinpoint which places need the most work, community engagement to promote the program and other safety methods for residents to implement themselves.
Street safety affects all students as many typically walk, bike or scooter to school or around Santa Monica. Student Genivive Bazyler (’24) loves to bike around the city and tends to think about their safety while doing so.
“I’m hoping for Santa Monica to add additional bike lanes, especially in more frequented areas. Some streets, like Broadway, have implemented the names of barrier-like objects in the name of cyclist safety. They’re great when biking, but can be a pain to drive around due to the narrow streets.”
Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) is a required program created in 2022 that identifies the highest priority intersections and corridors for improvement. They also focus on recommended areas of improvement due to consistent crashes. LRSP has identified that 65% of crashes between the years of 2015 and 2019 have involved pedestrians, cyclists or scooter rides. Students like Isabel Hudson-Monforte (’24) live near an unsafe intersection for pedestrians.
“I do feel like crossing the street can be dangerous sometimes, especially on [9th and Wilshire], right by my house, since there is no light, and to cross is a struggle since I almost get hit by a car every time I walk home from school,” Hudson-Monforte said.
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