Bike Safety a Critical Lesson in Latino Community
In California, bicycle transportation in the Latino community has skyrocketed over the past decade. Bicycling is an essential mode of transportation for people in working-class neighborhoods of all backgrounds; here in Los Angeles bikes have a particularly significant impact on social and economic mobility for many Latinos.
Typically, however, it is neither safe nor convenient to ride from A to B. Safe routes to work and school are missing in low-income and underserved Latino neighborhoods, and as a result bicycle and pedestrian fatalities are often higher in Latino populations than any other demographic. In Los Angeles County, more than half of all bicycle collisions in 2011 involved Latinos. The Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at UC Berkeley compiled this data into an interactive Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) to identify at-risk communities and intersections.
In order to improve bicycle safety among Latinos in Los Angeles County, RTC is partnering with the Multicultural Center for Mobility (MCM) to host Spanish-language Bicycle Safety Workshops. Made possible through a grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation, the workshops inform Spanish speaking riders about proper road biking procedures. The workshops include active safety drills and provide participants with helmets, lights, reflective ankle bracelets and safety manuals.
While there has been a huge increase in the number of workshops in the L.A. area to teach bicyclists safe riding skills, there needs to be a much greater effort to provide this service to Spanish speakers. We are very excited to join forces with MCM to help promote safe biking among Latinos here.
If you'd like to know more, email me at barry@railstotrails.org.
Qué te vaya bien.
