Part of safe cycling involves knowing where your risks are and making efforts to minimize them. When you navigate California’s roadways by bike, the hazards you face are numerous. Recent research shows that while many communities across California have enacted new safety measures to help protect bicyclists, California remains a deadly and dangerous place to bike. Los Angeles, in particular, is a dangerous place to bike, earning the title of California’s least bike-friendly city.
Per DangerousRoads.org, the number of cyclists dying on Los Angeles and California’s roadways is rising. In 2015, there 17 cyclist deaths occurred within Los Angeles city limits. By 2018, that number rose to 21. Each year, an average of 139 cyclists die across Los Angeles and throughout California.
Dangerous areas
While you face inherent risks any time you travel around Los Angeles via bicycle, certain areas see more car-on-bike crashes than others. Vision Zero, a safety initiative that seeks to reduce road injuries and deaths, revealed some of the city’s most dangerous roads.
When bicycling, be vigilant when cycling between Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon Road, not far from Will Rogers State Beach. Also, exercise care when cycling along Imperial Highway, between Athens Way and Vermont Ave. Areas heavily populated by tourists, such as the Sunset Strip or the Hollywood Walk of Fame, are also dangerous for cyclists.
Safety measures
The Vision Zero initiative seeks to make cycling safer not only by identifying dangerous areas but by proposing ways to make them safer. This might include anything from widening bike lanes to enhancing enforcement efforts.
By knowing where your risks are highest and avoiding dangerous areas whenever possible, you should be able to lower your chances of a car-on-bike crash.
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