David Metzler of Bike Culver City, offered “I’m hopeful that we can shift from just talking about safe streets to actually building them where we know improvements are desperately needed.” Metzler and Council member Freddy Puza organized the gathering for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims event in Culver City.
In honor of the World Day of Remembrance, on Nov. 17, 2024 a small group gathered at Doverwood and Green Vally Circle in the Fox Hills neighborhood to commemorate the death of Jackie Mosher, who was stuck and killed in a crosswalk there on the afternoon of July 4, 2022.
Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin addressed the gathering, along with Travis Morgan of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Council member Freddy Puza, and Council member-elect Bubba Fish.
While Mosher’s death prompted outcry at the time, last week’s council decision to remove the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan from the City’s obligations replaces a long-time commitment with a blank space.
Vice Mayor Dan O’Brien posted on social media about being struck by a vehicle who fled the scene on Nov. 13; a classic hit-and-run. While he was unhurt, he credited that to his reflex response, and good fortune.
“[In a] busy three-way intersection, I was facing oncoming traffic, most turning right. I waited for one car to make their turn, then I entered the crosswalk, made my way over half-way across, and the woman driving the car behind the one I let through just blew through the sign and had I not extended my arms to brace myself, I would have been struck somewhere on my torso area. She and I made eye contact, then she took off…I am always very alert when I run and am still agile enough to avoid serious injury in cases like this, but I worry about others who are not.”
The National Safety Council, the organization behind the World Day of Remembrance, states that “People in the U.S. [in this year] experienced the highest number of roadway deaths in 16 years, and the highest number of deaths amongst people walking in 40 years in 2022.”
The site for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in the U.S. offers some consciousness-raising examples of looking at the deadly phenomenon; “Recognize common patterns of crashes, rather than portraying them as isolated incidents. There are often consistent themes related to poor roadway design or conditions, or high speeds or super-sized vehicles, that show a fuller context of the systems and environments people are moving in.” This is where road design and civil engineering can be crucial factors.
Metzler emphasized ” Safe streets and public safety were touted as important priorities by all current council members… Monday’s decision clearly did not reflect the campaign rhetoric. Making progress requires both the city and community to work together. Complete Streets must be a priority for that to happen.”
Someone dies on the roads in American every 24 seconds. O’Brien was lucky. Mosher was not.
Judith Martin-Straw
