Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Public Safety

San Diego Police To Increase Bicycle And Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Thursday

A pedestrian surrounded by cars crosses El Cajon Boulevard in City Heights, Jan. 11, 2017.
Kris Arciaga
A pedestrian surrounded by cars crosses El Cajon Boulevard in City Heights, Jan. 11, 2017.

The San Diego Police Department announced that officers will conduct bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operations today.

The increased enforcement will take place from noon to 8 p.m.

Police have mapped out locations throughout San Diego where pedestrian- and bicycle-involved collisions have occurred over the last three years, and will focus routine traffic patrols on known "trouble spots," according to a statement from the department.

Advertisement

RELATED: San Diego Mixes Up Traffic Death Data On New Vision Zero Webpage

Special targeted patrols will also be deployed to crack down on drivers who violate traffic laws, as well as pedestrians, bicyclists and scooter riders who cross the street illegally or fail to yield when traffic has the right-of-way.

San Diego police have investigated thousands of fatal and injury collisions involving bicyclists and pedestrians over the past three years, the statement said.

RELATED: What Is In Mayor Faulconer’s $18 Million ‘Vision Zero’ Budget?

There were 701 pedestrian deaths in the state of California in 2013 — 23 percent of all roadway fatalities and much higher than the national average of 15 percent, according to the department.

Advertisement

Funding for the enforcement operations program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.