More protected bike lanes were a top priority for residents surveyed by Santa Cruz Local. (Jay Leedy — Santa Cruz Local) In 2022, Santa Cruz County was the second most dangerous county for cyclists in the state, according to rankings from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
City of Santa Cruz resident billy rainbow (who spells his name lowercase) said in about three years he has been hit on his bike by cars several times. “The last one almost killed me,” rainbow said.
In November and December, 109 residents responded to a Santa Cruz Local survey about the personal impact of local bike and pedestrian infrastructure and improvements they would like to see. The survey wasn’t a scientific study or representative of all Santa Cruz County residents, but a straw poll and informal gathering of solutions for bike and pedestrian safety.
Some priorities we heard included: More bike lanes.
Improvements to existing bike lanes.
More traffic law enforcement and new regulations for e-bikes.
More sidewalks and crosswalks. Some residents said they would walk or bike more if it felt less dangerous.“I don’t walk very far because it’s unsafe,” said Seacliff resident Johanna Lighthill. “Cars speed through my neighborhood to avoid the congested highway. I would walk to shopping, the bank, the post office, restaurants, coffee shops if it was safer.”Over a 10-year period ending Dec. 31, 2022, there were at least 2,509 car, truck and motorcycle crashes involving cyclists or pedestrians in Santa Cruz County, according to state data compiled by […]
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