West Ventura News

Ventura Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement.

Ventura, Calif. — The Ventura Police Department will conduct a traffic safety enforcement operation focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk. The enforcement operation will occur within city limits on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

These violations include speeding, making illegal turns, failing to yield or provide right of way to bicyclists or pedestrians, or failing to stop for signs and signals.

“We’ve seen a recent rise in injuries ranging from serious to fatal for traffic collisions in our city,” said Sergeant Mike Brown. “While bicyclists and pedestrians have the same rights to use the road, they face a greater risk because they don’t have the same protections as vehicles. We need to share the road and be on the look out for one another.”

The Ventura Police Department offers steps drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists can take to improve safety and reduce the risk of a traffic collision:

Drivers 

• Follow the posted speed limit and slow down at intersections. Be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks. 
• Avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn. 
• Never drive impaired.

Pedestrians 

• Be predictable. Always use crosswalks when available.  
• Do not walk or run into the path of a vehicle. At 30 mph, a driver needs at least 90 feet to stop. 
• Be visible. Make it easy for drivers to see you – wear light colors, reflective material, and carry a flashlight, particularly at dawn, dusk, or night. 
• Be extra careful crossing streets or entering crosswalks at night when it is harder to see, or when crossing busier streets with more lanes and higher speed limits. 

Bicyclists

• Obey traffic laws, use hand signals, use lights at night (front white light and rear red reflector), and wear a helmet. 
• Bicyclists must travel in the same direction of traffic and have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.  
• If there’s a bike lane, use it.
• Yield to pedestrians. Bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians within marked crosswalks or within unmarked crosswalks at intersections.  

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To learn more about the Office of Traffic Safety grant and VPD’s educational efforts, contact Emily Graves, Community Outreach Specialist for the Ventura Police Department, at egraves@cityofventura.ca.gov.

Original source can be found here.