Pedestrian Hit By Car on Tesla, Pointing Out Need for Completion of Path
On Tuesday, March 27 at about 11:00 AM, a lone female jogger was injured in an automobile accident at the corner of West Silver Lake Drive and Tesla, and the jogger has been taken to the hospital.
SLRC and the community have been concerned about the Tesla portion of the Silver Lake Path, as it has remained an essential yet uncompleted leg of the path project. The path is used by thousands of joggers and walkers weekly, and safety for users has become an increasingly critical concern. All path users and drivers know how unsafe this segment is, with no sidewalk and a very narrow street. Night time runners face an even greater safety hazard, as lighting is inadequate. The corner where the accident occurred is also hazardous, with limited visibility.
Councilmember Tom LaBonge of Council District 4 and the LA DWP have both promised completion of this segment, but it has been delayed repeatedly due to budget and priority concerns.
SLRC will continue to gather information and will be working with both the CD4 and DWP offices to expedite the design and construction of this crucial link, including the best modifications of the corners at each end of Tesla. We will be providing updates to the community on this accident, and about the next steps to complete the path. We’ll also let you know how you can help assure a rapid completion of a safe, pleasant and family-friendly Silver Lake Path.
5 People have left comments on this post
Are there temporary and immediate solutions? MINIMALLY there should be SIGNAGE that indicates to drivers to SLOW, or that pedestrians with baby strollers, animals, etc., are present and/or that indicate the dangers to pedestrians? Signage should be on Tesla as well as Armstrong and West Silver Lake.
Due to the irresponsibility of those in charge of making this public street safe, pedestrians have been left to fend for themselves on this stretch for years. I’m not surprised this happened at the corner as this is where drivers recklessly accelerate onto Tesla without any consideration of what or who may be there as they complete their turn.
The preschool alone should have been enough to minimally warrant this signage, but the fact that this is also a walking/jogging path makes this lack of concern beyond outrageous.
I hope this woman has a quick and complete recovery. While it will be very nice to have the path project completed as a frequent user I have seen all too often the problem as illustrated by the photo. When you are a pedestrian (whether walking or running) in a roadway for safety you must travel opposite the vehicular traffic flow. That way you will see any car coming towards you, and it will keep you out of the path of a turning vehicle.
As a jogger myself that prefers to run outside on the sidewalks, I am surprised people being hit doesn’t happen more often. Isn’t the city partially responsible for this incident as they clearly have not made this area safe for pedestrians.
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