The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Public Health branch are partnering to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety in McKinleyville.
DHHS’s Healthy Communities Division received a $125,000, one-year grant from OTS, which will go toward educating the community about McKinleyville’s new traffic safety features, which include colorized bike lanes, pedestrian refuge islands and mid-block crossings on Central Avenue.
Funded through the grant, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program will provide opportunities to practice safe pedestrian and bicycling behavior. Outreach will be conducted through upcoming bike rodeos, on-bike safety workshops and community rides, as well as a media campaign promoting vehicle and pedestrian safety. Much of the outreach will be geared toward youth through McKinleyville’s Parks & Recreation, Teen & Community Center and local schools.
The Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System reports that between 2013 and 2014, McKinleyville experienced eight bicycle and seven pedestrian-involved collisions. Nearly half of those collisions occurred on Central Avenue. Of California counties, Humboldt has the second-highest rate of pedestrian collisions and the 10th highest rate of bicyclist collisions in the state.
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