California Bike Coalition celebrates 30 years but says work for safety "not done"
SACRAMENTO — More people in California's capital city are opting to use bicycles to minimize their carbon footprint. One nonprofit is working to keep streets safe for bicyclists.
Kendra Ramsey is the executive director of the California Bike Coalition, or CalBike, and said the organization has come a long way since its inception 30 years ago.
The nonprofit has steered innovation when it comes to pedestrian and bike safety, launching the Safe Routes to School program.
"We think there has been a lot of progress in Sacramento and other communities to walk and bike next to traffic, but we're not done," Ramsey said.
Ramsey noted that bikes are sharing the road with more types of vehicles, including electric bikes and scooters.
"Speeding traffic, lack of safe infrastructure for people walking and biking and the growing size of vehicles all contribute to rising injuries and fatalities — not just in Sacramento but nationwide," she said.
In fact, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office reported that in the last five years, 70 cyclists and 387 pedestrians were killed in crashes involving moving vehicles.
Debra Banks with Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, or SABA, said crashes like those are preventable.
"We prevent them by changing our street design, by adding in protected bike lanes, by adding in more stop signs and traffic lights and things we call traffic calming features," Banks said.
SABA's goal is to get drivers to slow down and be more mindful of what and who is around them. As an avid cyclist injured in a car crash herself, Banks knows partnerships with CalBike and other nonprofits are crucial to changing laws to improve public safety.
"A great example might be no right turns on red lights, which a lot of people who drive cars love to do, but it also puts cyclists and pedestrians in the path of cars," Banks said.
Looking ahead, Banks knows it will take more awareness and kindness on the road.
"Just slow down a little bit. Take it easy," she said. "Watch for all the other people around you because everybody has a right to get to where they need to go safely."