DPS, LAPD Targeting Bicyclists to Ensure Pedestrian Safety
Video by Marah Alindogan
USC is a campus full of bikers and with so many faculty and students, intersections on and off campus get very crowded. Areas like Trousdale and the intersections on Jefferson, just north of campus, have been known for being the scene of minor accidents every now and then.
Monday afternoon, a woman and her two children were injured when a car crashed into a bus stop on Jefferson Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.
"History has shown that education is one thing," said DPS Deputy Chief David Carlisle. "Voluntary compliance is another. But if there aren't any consequences like a $300 or $400 fine from a traffic citation, people will not comply with the rules."
Carlisle said the main thing he has seen is students completely disregarding red lights and stop signs on their way to and from classes. He hopes that with the added eyes and the threats of fines, students will pay more attention to the road and put away their phones while they bike.
To aid in the effort, both the vice president and chief of staff of USG are hoping to launch social media campaigns to accomplish higher safety standards.
Students who have received citations aren't so convinced that's all it takes to improve pedestrian behavior. Sarah Mau, a senior at USC, was cited in early October when she crossed the Jefferson Boulevard and McClintock Avenue intersection on her bike when the red hand was flashing.
"They could maybe act like they're going to give you a ticket but instead just give you a stern warning, " said Mau who is now awaiting the $200 ticket in the mail.
Other students say hearing about the fines definitely stops them from jaywalking.
Blame the victim by police. The only example of injury was a car colliding into a bus stop. How is ticketing pedestrians going to stop that behavior? Riding across the street with the don't walk sign blinking is legal. If you are walking it isn't legal.