From: Joanna Kaufman <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2022 5:58 PM
To: City Clerk Group <[email protected]>
Subject: City Council - Munir Delgado
Hello Mayor and Council,
Apologies I was not able to speak in under 3 min. I wanted to share the full text of my public comment.
Thank you for your time and attention:
As a mother I am here because I know what happened to Munir Delgado was totally preventable. I also served on the Technical Advisory Committee for the development of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.
Parents shouldn’t have to constantly worry about their young children running into the street. His death was totally preventable and unfortunately it adds to a growing statistic of other young lives taken by a failure of political will to prioritize simple changes to slow down car traffic on streets, especially in residential neighborhoods. Collectively, we have prioritized the convenience of quickly driving from point A to B over traffic calming measures that are effective at slowing down drivers. If traffic calming measures such as speed bumps on Nectarine Avenue were in place it is reasonable to assume this would not have happened. Old Town Goleta has the benefit of being a high density residential area where many residents already walk or ride bicycles. For them and the children there needs to be a better way.
No matter what policy platitudes have been adopted, the truth is we have created environments incompatible for a healthy, vibrant, and safe public life. Children without yards are left to play in parking lots or to cross streets to reach public parks. Already weary parents have to constantly be vigilant when outside with their children because we’ve created these unsafe environments.
Munir’s death was totally preventable. Article after academic article says the same. The predominant factor in many fatal traffic accidents is speed. It is a public health crisis that not only impacts pedestrians, but also car drivers, cyclists, and everyone that uses our streets. A New York Times bulletin dated August 23 describes how vehicle deaths have jumped 20 percent from pre pandemic levels, which is the sharpest increase since the 1940s. Furthermore, this public health crisis also disproportionately impacts black and brown communities. From a June 2022 Harvard School of Public Health article: “pedestrian deaths have reached a 40- year high... Compared to White Americans, Black Americans also experienced traffic deaths at more than twice the rate (2.2) per mile walking…” This is true across other modes of transportation. Again, this is a public health crisis and an equity issue that is totally preventable. There are volumes upon volumes of academic literature reinforcing these tragic trends. Where research isn’t needed is in determining the solutions needed to prevent these death. This is an issue for which the answers are already known and have been successfully implemented in places around the world.
Our traditional approach assumes that humans are infallible and we must assume individual responsibility. We assume that slowing down traffic is undesirable and expensive. Instead we must accept that humans make mistakes and that we must take a systems approach to addressing this public health crisis. That the implementation of traffic calming measures, like outlined Chapter 4 of your own bicycle and pedestrian master plan are worth the cost and the minor inconvenience to drivers. This includes raised crosswalks, speed tables, chicanes, among many more. Speeding on residential streets, which many of us have done at one point in our life, only saves us seconds or a couple minutes at best. We spend millions of dollars to ensure cars can get to point A to B without delays, but don’t prioritize these measures when it comes to capital expenditures. The City must prioritize ways to get drivers to slow down and in residential neighborhoods in particular. One idea is the creation of a Vision Zero program, which is a global program with the goal of zero traffic fatalities or serious injuries regardless of mode. I think that is something we can all get behind.
Everyone, drivers/walkers/bikers, is affected by these unsafe conditions. Driving in particular is the most dangerous thing we do all the time. So don't accept this public health crisis and do something about it as the elected officials of this fine City. It could have saved a young child’s life.
Thank You
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Joanna Kaufman
[email protected]
909-816-3406