Pedestrian Safety Program In South Los Angeles

The LAUSD, the Office of Mayor Villaraigosa and Council woman Jan Perry held a press conference recently, which included the LADOT to start off the Safe Routes to School program on February 11, 2010, which will promote safety and better health for the children of South Los Angeles.

This event was to announce the partnership between LAUSD and LADOT, with participation by the LAPD and other agencies that are helping to improve pedestrian safety in school zones for the children. These agencies will ensure safety for children walking and riding bicycles to and from school in South Los Angeles.

The Safe Routes to School grant program will improve the safety of children to walk or ride their bike to school in South Los Angeles, while also helping improve their health. The program will promote a healthy lifestyle and fight obesity. The children taking advantage of this program will be refreshed and alert to perform better in school after the exercise of walking or riding bicycles. This will also help reduce air pollution and congested traffic around schools by encouraging children to walk and ride bicycles, while making it safer for the children by cutting down school zone traffic.

Pedestrian cross-walk accident attorney, Michael Ehline, says this is a step in the right direction, but that motorists need to remember even if there is no cross walk, people on foot still have the right of way.