Fatal Crashes Between Cyclists, Cars On The Rise In West Sacramento
WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A mixture of bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists are proving deadly along a heavily traveled road in West Sacramento.
Police say since July, collisions on the West Capitol Avenue corridor have claimed the lives of five people. What's causing the deadly trend?
West Capitol Avenue is very busy for motorists, but also bicyclists too as they make their way from Davis to the Capitol city. The road is a mixture of industrial businesses and mom and pop stores, and sharing this wide swath of asphalt is fast-moving metal and flesh and bone.
"People get in their car and go to work, and I get on my bike and go to work," said cyclist John Steggall.
Steggall commutes from Davis to Sacramento every day. For 21 years, he's seen his fair share of danger.
"Eleven thousand miles a year is what I put in," he said. Many times, drivers in traffic don't see him.
"People in their cars should be focused on driving and not messing around with their damn cell phones," he said.
Five people – two cyclists and three pedestrians -- have been struck and killed by vehicles on West Capitol Avenue since July.
"Right now, those very big, long blocks encourage people to drive fast," said Jim Brown with Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates.
Brown says his organization offers suggestions on improving the safety for riders on West Capitol Avenue. He suggests "greater separation between the bike traffic and the vehicle traffic" and mechanisms to slow down traffic like "changing signal timing, adding crossings."
Police say they don't know why there's an increase in traffic fatalities on West Capitol Avenue. They're still looking into that. But some motorists believe safety is a shared responsibility.
"You got to share the road. Both people and sides have to share the rules of the road of course. Be respectful of each other and the territory you've been given by the road," said Steggall.
Police tell CBS13 they are now beefing up patrols on the road, they're educating driver and riders and giving out more tickets to not only motorists but to pedestrians as well.
