NB-17 Correspondence – Michael Clemson
From: Michael Clemson [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 2:14 PM
To: Al Austin <[email protected]>; Amy Harbin <[email protected]>; Anjelica Vargas <[email protected]>; Chork Nim <[email protected]>; Christopher Koontz <[email protected]>; Connor Lock <[email protected]>; Council District 1 <[email protected]>; Council District 2 <[email protected]>; Council District 3 <[email protected]>; Council District 4 <[email protected]>; Daryl Supernaw <[email protected]>; Isabel Arvea <[email protected]>; Kristina Duggan <[email protected]>; Lynette Johnson <[email protected]>; Lynn Ward <[email protected]>; Mayor <[email protected]>; Suely Saro <[email protected]>; Alex Muldrow <[email protected]>; Cindy Allen <[email protected]>; CityClerk <[email protected]>; Council District 5 <[email protected]>; Council District 6 <[email protected]>; Council District 7 <[email protected]>; Council District 8 <[email protected]>; Council District 9 <[email protected]>; Joni Ricks-Oddie <[email protected]>; Mary Zendejas <[email protected]>; Megan Kerr <[email protected]>; Nick Kaspar <[email protected]>; Roberto Uranga <[email protected]>; Sean Bernhoft <[email protected]>; Shawna Stevens <[email protected]>; Tom Modica <[email protected]>
Subject: Vision Zero Progress Report Agenda Item 17
-EXTERNAL-
My name is Michael Clemson and I live in Zaferia in the 3rd District.
I am writing to strongly encourage your support for the Vision Zero progress report. The Safe Streets plan was passed in 2020 and has seen little progress toward its implementation. Meanwhile, fatal crashes, especially pedestrian deaths, are up. Speeding has increased, according to Streetlight Data, now at least 20% of drivers are speeding, up from just 8% in 2018.
The Safe Streets plan has several measures that were to be finished by July 2021 or 2022, but there hasnt been any progress made, at least that the public can see. These include, Implementation schedules for pedestrian safety projects, establishing a Safe Streets Advisory Committee, construction detour policies that dont ignore pedestrian and cyclist safety. Public Works hasnt even renamed the "Mobility" section of the CIP to "Mobility and Safety", an action that's literally just changing a header on an annual report.
I would also encourage the progress report to look into the accuracy of the data crash data the city is basing its decisions off of. The Safe Streets Plan uses data from CHP's statewide database, but these are missing a large number of fatal crashes. For example, in 2020, the database has 27 traffic deaths on local Long Beach streets, LBPD has 48. In 2021, the database has 23 deaths to LBPD's 40.
I'm glad to see the Council looking into this important issue. Giving this more attention and resources will save lives. I hope that this progress report will help make that progress faster and more effective.
Michael Clemson