Examining Pedestrian Safety in Highland Park

A national advocacy group that looked at a decades worth of data ranked the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area as number 27 in a list of the 52-most-dangerous areas for pedestrians nationwide.

The group, Transportation for America, mapped out the more than 47,000 pedestrian deaths in the country from 2000 to 2009, and according to their figures, there were 10 pedestrians killed in Highland Park during that time.

According to the study, 2009 was a particularly dangerous year on the roads for pedestrians,  with three deaths recorded in that year, all in a one month span between late February and late March.

The first pedestrian fatality of 2009 came on February 25, when a 57-year-old man was killed on  A 38-year-old man was then killed on N. Figueroa St. near Myosotis St. on March 18, 2009. Shortly thereafter, a 55-year-old man was killed on N. Figueroa Near Ave. 51 on March 29.

There has not been a pedestrian fatality in Highland Park or Mount Washington in the last two years, however, there have been several serious pedestrian or cyclist related accidents.

• In December, a woman was struck by a Gold Line Train while walking near the tracks at Ave. 60 and Marmion Way.
• In June, a Highland Park Cyclist was run down by a motorist on Ave. 50 near Buchanan Street.

Community members have also taken efforts to enhance pedestrian safety in the neighborhood through the project, by urging planners to focus on practical solutions like repairing street lights and lighting the crosswalk across from Super-A foods.

The full Transportation for America report notes that 12 percent of total traffic accidents involve pedestrians and suggests that the main cause of pedestrian deaths are roads that are poorly designed for pedestrian safety.

It makes a number of recommendations on how to fix the problem, including expansion of sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes, as well as prioritizing walkers and de-prioritizing the speed of traffic in designing side streets and connector roads.