2 Community-Driven Traffic Safety Projects Earn Cash Awards

A Pasadena nonprofit and the Altadena Town Council were among 31 recipients receiving a total of $275,000 awarded by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) for community-driven traffic safety projects in the region.

SCAG announced Tuesday it had recognized Day One for “Vamos Pasadena,” “Vamos Pomona,” and “Vamos El Monte,” and the Altadena Town Council and Safe Streets for the “Dena United Peace March & Summer Celebration”

The Mini-Grants Program supports community-driven active-transportation safety projects geared toward populations most at risk for injuries or fatalities, including people of color, individuals with disabilities and frontline workers.

Southern California has some of the highest levels of injuries and fatalities in the United States among pedestrians and bicyclists. In the six-county SCAG region, people who walk and bike make up about 12% of all trips but account for 27% of all roadway fatalities. An average of more than four people die every day in traffic collisions in the region, and 70% of all collisions are on local roads, according to SCAG.

“Walking and bicycling is critical to everyday life in Southern California. We’re proud to support efforts at the community level to improve safety and increase awareness of the benefits of active transportation,” said Clint Lorimore, President of SCAG and an Eastvale City Councilmember.

Kome, Ajise, SCAG Executive Director, said that largely through the efforts of Go Human, Southern California has become a national model for active transportation advocacy and implementation.

“Our congested corridors put additional constraints on our region’s transportation system and economy; therefore, we need to be more creative in ensuring our roadways are safe for all users,” Ajise said.

By focusing on at-risk communities and populations, the Mini-Grants Program continues SCAG’s commitment to meaningfully advance diversity, equity and inclusion.

The 31 awarded projects will receive funding through the Community Streets Mini-Grants Program, part of SCAG’s regional active transportation safety and encouragement campaign, ‘Go Human.’

The other selected projects are:

• Bicycle Kitchen, “Night Lights for Bikes”
• ActiveSGV, “SGV Recycle” and “Reimagine Poplar Boulevard”
• Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, “South Fontana Climate Action and Safety Coalition”
• Central City Neighborhood Partners, “Safely Stepping Out – Pedestrian Traffic Safety Project”
• Collins Neighborhood Association, “COKE ST CAP: Coke Safety Two-wheeler, Cross and Play”
• Community Intelligence, LLC, “Incomplete Streets, Pedestrian Injuries and Mobility Justice in South LA”
• Los Angeles Walks, “A Safe Street Solution for Every Crash: Mobilizing Traffic Victim’s Families as Agents of Change”
• El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, “Community Streets in Action”
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, “New Visions for a Safer Washington Neighborhood”
• Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, “LACBC eBike Elder Encouragement Initiative”
• Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, “11th Avenue Park and Hyde Park – Community Safety Project”
• Music Changing Lives, “Los Amigos Community Streets”
• Nyeland Promise, “Safe Travels/Viajes Seguros”
• Public Matters, “University Park Slow Jams”
• Rose Park Neighborhood Association, “Boulevard Day on East 7th Street”
• Santa Ana Active Streets, “SAASy Thursdays” and “¡Luces Vivas!”
• Southern California Mountains Foundation (Urban Conservation Corps), “Walking is a Basic Human Right”
• Streets Are For Everyone, “Interfaith for Safer Streets”
• Streets For All, “Reimagine 6th St”
• The Artlands, “The Artlands”
• Walk ‘n Rollers, “ST Forward – Foothill Safety Campaign”
• Yolanda Davis-Overstreet Consulting, “Mobility Justice in Communities of Color – How Safe are Black Lives Bicycling” and “Walk to Boulevard – Adams Blvd Safety Project”
• Youth Leadership Institute, “YLI Youth-Led Safety and Walkability Assessment”

Go Human is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

About SCAG

SCAG is the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties, 191 cities and more than 19 million residents. SCAG undertakes a variety of planning and policy initiatives to plan for a livable and sustainable Southern California now and in the future. For more information about SCAG’s regional efforts, please visit www.scag.ca.gov.