Princeton Avenue - Move Bike Lanes to North Side with Concrete Protection
The Issue
I don't want to see anyone needlessly die or become permanently injured because of the careless design of Princeton Avenue.
Many students and staff use Princeton Ave to get to Moorpark College. We need to make it as safe as possible for everyone. I personally ride my bike through Princeton Avenue to get to school and I can assure you, I'm on the sidewalk because I don't want to die.
Paint, signs, education, and enforcement do not cut it when it comes to safety. We need to build infrastructure that physically prevents crashes from happening in the first place. We need this on all our streets, and Princeton Ave is the perfect place to start because it's already under construction!
We need concrete barriers:
Here are 2 options for a better Princeton Avenue:
A - Preferable) The safest and cheapest option: move both bike lanes to the north side. This requires half the amount of concrete barriers. There is only one driveway on the north side and bikes and cars would not need to dodge each other at Condor Drive, Nogales Avenue, and the many residential driveways in between. And don’t worry, there is still plenty of room for left turn lanes.
B) Keep the current design in the rendering, and add the above concrete barriers. The current design shows the lane width as 12-feet. The required minimum lane width is 10-feet, so this option does not require any change in the proposed design. Once it's completed, these concrete barriers (specifications below) can simply be placed on the outside of the bike lane. These barriers do not affect drainage.
I don't want to see anyone in our community needlessly get killed or permanently injured because of this design mistake. Please join me in calling upon the Moorpark City Council and City Engineer, Daniel Kim to make this crucial change that will save lives, promote healthier and more sustainable transportation options in our community, and improve traffic congestion.
$18 million. That’s how much the Princeton Avenue “Improvement Project” cost. This proposal is minuscule in context of the entire project, but will have a disproportionate impact on safety.
In a broader context, our community is far too car-dependent, and these careless bike lane designs only perpetuate that reality. A connected & safe bike network benefits everyone, including car drivers. It encourages people to take their bike instead of their car, reducing the amount of cars on the road and reducing congestion. So even if you never bike, it’s still in your best interest to support safer bike infrastructure to make driving a better experience. Abandoning car-dependence also brings countless other benefits to the environment and quality of life.
Please sign this petition!
Sources
Every 2.5 days in Moorpark, someone sustains life-altering injuries from a traffic crash, on average.
At least 1 person dies every year in Moorpark from a traffic crash.
This needs to stop. Learn more about Vision Zero Network: https://visionzeronetwork.org/
Crashes in Moorpark:
Fatal Crashes in Moorpark:
Painted bike facilities and signage alone (class II & III) are proven to be even more dangerous in many cases than no bike lanes at all. That’s because it puts more cyclists on the road, but doesn’t provide any protection, resulting in more crashes, injuries, and fatalities. We should only be implementing physically protected bike lanes (class IV) with concrete, steel, or trees between bike lanes and car lanes. Not plastic flex posts.
Counterintuitively, safer bike lanes are safer for drivers, too. Cities with more protected bike lanes have lowered their overall traffic fatalities by 44% on average. Specific streets where protected bike lanes have been implemented are proven to reduce overall risk of injury by up to 90%.
- https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/05/29/protect-yourself-separated-bike-lanes-means-safer-streets-study-says
- https://usa.streetsblog.org/2012/10/22/study-protected-bike-lanes-reduce-injury-risk-up-to-90-percent
West Hollywood recently became the first city in LA to phase out class II & III bike lanes, because they simply don’t work. We should follow their lead!
Petition Closed
The Issue
I don't want to see anyone needlessly die or become permanently injured because of the careless design of Princeton Avenue.
Many students and staff use Princeton Ave to get to Moorpark College. We need to make it as safe as possible for everyone. I personally ride my bike through Princeton Avenue to get to school and I can assure you, I'm on the sidewalk because I don't want to die.
Paint, signs, education, and enforcement do not cut it when it comes to safety. We need to build infrastructure that physically prevents crashes from happening in the first place. We need this on all our streets, and Princeton Ave is the perfect place to start because it's already under construction!
We need concrete barriers:
Here are 2 options for a better Princeton Avenue:
A - Preferable) The safest and cheapest option: move both bike lanes to the north side. This requires half the amount of concrete barriers. There is only one driveway on the north side and bikes and cars would not need to dodge each other at Condor Drive, Nogales Avenue, and the many residential driveways in between. And don’t worry, there is still plenty of room for left turn lanes.
B) Keep the current design in the rendering, and add the above concrete barriers. The current design shows the lane width as 12-feet. The required minimum lane width is 10-feet, so this option does not require any change in the proposed design. Once it's completed, these concrete barriers (specifications below) can simply be placed on the outside of the bike lane. These barriers do not affect drainage.
I don't want to see anyone in our community needlessly get killed or permanently injured because of this design mistake. Please join me in calling upon the Moorpark City Council and City Engineer, Daniel Kim to make this crucial change that will save lives, promote healthier and more sustainable transportation options in our community, and improve traffic congestion.
$18 million. That’s how much the Princeton Avenue “Improvement Project” cost. This proposal is minuscule in context of the entire project, but will have a disproportionate impact on safety.
In a broader context, our community is far too car-dependent, and these careless bike lane designs only perpetuate that reality. A connected & safe bike network benefits everyone, including car drivers. It encourages people to take their bike instead of their car, reducing the amount of cars on the road and reducing congestion. So even if you never bike, it’s still in your best interest to support safer bike infrastructure to make driving a better experience. Abandoning car-dependence also brings countless other benefits to the environment and quality of life.
Please sign this petition!
Sources
Every 2.5 days in Moorpark, someone sustains life-altering injuries from a traffic crash, on average.
At least 1 person dies every year in Moorpark from a traffic crash.
This needs to stop. Learn more about Vision Zero Network: https://visionzeronetwork.org/
Crashes in Moorpark:
Fatal Crashes in Moorpark:
Painted bike facilities and signage alone (class II & III) are proven to be even more dangerous in many cases than no bike lanes at all. That’s because it puts more cyclists on the road, but doesn’t provide any protection, resulting in more crashes, injuries, and fatalities. We should only be implementing physically protected bike lanes (class IV) with concrete, steel, or trees between bike lanes and car lanes. Not plastic flex posts.
Counterintuitively, safer bike lanes are safer for drivers, too. Cities with more protected bike lanes have lowered their overall traffic fatalities by 44% on average. Specific streets where protected bike lanes have been implemented are proven to reduce overall risk of injury by up to 90%.
- https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/05/29/protect-yourself-separated-bike-lanes-means-safer-streets-study-says
- https://usa.streetsblog.org/2012/10/22/study-protected-bike-lanes-reduce-injury-risk-up-to-90-percent
West Hollywood recently became the first city in LA to phase out class II & III bike lanes, because they simply don’t work. We should follow their lead!
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Petition created on November 15, 2023