PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR & EQUITY AND ENGAGEMENT TOWARD VISION ZERO "All Angelenos deserve safe streets. Traffic deaths affect our communities more than traditional measures of crime, such as gang-related activity. In 2013, there were 201 traffic deaths in Los Angeles, compared with 149 gang-related homicides. Nearly half of the streets on the High-Injury Network are neighborhoods with a greater percentageof children, seniors, people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, or low-income households. A disproportionate percentage of serious and fatal collisions take place in Central and South Los Angeles, where people are more likely to walk, bike, or take transit as their primary mode of transportation. The City’s commitment to equity and engagement prioritizes communities that depend on a variety of travel modes. The first step to addressing equity and engagement through Vision Zero is to build a deeper understanding of how social inequalities affect the health and safety of Angelenos. For example, race may affect the safety of people of color as they walk from place to place. In one study, blacks trying to cross the street had to wait 32-percent longer than whites because cars did not stop to allow them to cross safely. Although health equity and social equity are directly related, they have di erent implications for safety on our streets. We must continue to better define and understand issues of social and health equity to support traffic safety in all our communities. We can grow our understanding of these complex issues by building relationships with communities where health disparities are concentrated alongside social inequities such as poverty, unemployment, and crime. We will engage community members from the beginning of the project planning process and work to build trust." -----taken from the VZ action plan. The city of LA has to be held accountable, and we all have to step up and initiate these conversations before implantation without equity takes place. We don't need to see law enforcement become a part of the solution. We can help each other make the necessary changes we need to survive these injustices!
