Activists question whether the city is doing enough to promote bicycle safety.
As the city of Los Angeles moves forward with a plan to increase bicycle traffic safety, bicycling enthusiasts and activists are questioning whether it will be enough to reduce the number of accidents occurring each year.
The plan, put forward by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is intended to develop about 1,680 miles of various bike paths and networks throughout the city over the next 30 years. The plan will include the creation of bicycle lanes on vehicular streets and areas where engineering devices are used to slow car traffic down at a rate of approximately 40 miles per year.
Mayor Villaraigosa took on a newfound enthusiasm for the safety plan after breaking his elbow in a bicycle accident in July 2010. While bicyclists and cycling advocates agree that the plan is a step in the right direction, they cite the need for more immediate action to make Los Angeles streets safer.
Currently, there are approximately 14 miles of bicycle lanes throughout the city as well as 20 miles of sharrows, which identify traffic lanes that motorists are required to share with bicyclists. Critics of the plan argue that simply adding more sharrows will not necessarily reduce the incidence of bicycle accidents and that a 30-year timeline does not immediately address the problem.
Los Angeles regularly ranks among the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's most dangerous areas for bicyclists. Of the 99 bicyclist fatalities that occurred in California in 2009, 22 of the deaths happened in Los Angeles County. While it is unclear how the city's proposed safety plan will affect these statistics, officials are at least attempting to curb the number of serious and fatal accidents occurring in the area.
Other California cities, including San Francisco, are also taking steps to improve bicycle safety but many point to a growing animosity between drivers and cyclists as a substantial part of the problem. In the San Francisco area, bicyclists and drivers are reportedly becoming more aggressive toward one another, which is leading to even more accidents. This has in turn lead to an increase in the number of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits being filed by bicyclists who claim negligence on the part of motorists.
If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries after being involved in a bicycle accident, consulting an experienced personal injury attorney can help you to protect your rights. The law firm of Nadrich & Cohen LLP is available to assist bicycle accident victims in the Los Angeles area and throughout California in proving their injury claim.
Call our Injury Hotline today at 1-800-718-4658 to speak with one of our bicycle accident attorneys. Your initial case evaluation is free and there is never a fee unless we recover a judgment on your behalf. Call now to get the experienced legal representation you need to prove your bicycle accident injury claim.
