The number of traffic collisions in San Luis Obispo was the lowest ever documented in 2010 — numbers have decreased by more than 50 percent. However, the number of bicycle-related collisions was 13 higher than the average (56 bicycle accidents per year).
San Luis Obispo Police Department sergeant Jancie Goodwin said the main reason for having so many bicyclists, which can lead to more bicycle-involved collisions, is having a large number of students in a small town.
“We do have a large college population, so we have an exceedingly large number of bikes,” Goodwin said. “That’s where we see a lot of our injury collisions with bikes, and we usually see it when bicyclists aren’t acting like a car.”
There are five intersections ranked for the top bicycle collision locations in San Luis Obispo. To increase the safety of these intersections, the city has increased police enforcement and discussed changes to the engineering of some intersections, such as bike lanes being extended through the intersection.
California Boulevard and Monterey Street
A pattern regarding bicycle collisions at California Boulevard and Monterey Street occurs when a motorist makes a right turn and hits a bicyclist going straight through the intersection.
“We have a bicycle coming down the hill and the vehicle will be coming down the hill too,” traffic operations manager Jake Hudson said. “When a vehicle goes down the hill, they pass the bicyclist and when they go to make a right at the intersection, the bicycle has caught up to them and that’s when a collision occurs.”
This pattern occurred frequently in 2010; 12 percent of the total number of bicycle collisions in 2010 were due to motorists making a right turn in front of a cyclist.
The current recommendation to help reduce this type of collision is to extend the bike lane through the intersection to remind motorists they need to look for bicycles and not just oncoming traffic while making a right turn, Hudson said.
Walnut and Santa Rosa streets
The intersection of Walnut and Santa Rosa streets falls under the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) jurisdiction, and not the city of San Luis Obispo.
“The city of San Luis Obispo can only make recommendations to improve the safety of the intersection,” Hudson said.
A pattern seen at this intersection is motorists making a right hand turn into cyclists. To make this intersection safer it has been proposed that bike lanes be painted through the intersection to remind motorists that bicyclists may be riding through the intersection, Hudson said.
Despite the city wanting changes at these intersections, Jim Shivers, who handles public information for Caltrans District 5, said that they do not have any pending projects at this intersection.
In terms of safety, Shivers said “motorists and those who ride bicycles along Santa Rosa should be respectful of each other and should travel with safety in mind and abiding by speed limits.”
Chorro and Higuera streets
In 2010 one bicycle-related accident occurred at the intersection of Chorro and Higuera streets. Since 2006, there have been four bicycle-related accidents at this intersection, but no discernible pattern has been determined.
“Chorro at Higuera, there wasn’t actually any collectible pattern,” Hudson said. “They were just random collision types, dealing with people not paying attention. Our officers will increase enforcement for the bicyclists, and address motorists not yielding to bicycles.”
Despite Chorro and Higuera streets not having a consistent pattern for the city to determine the problem, in 2010 one accident occurred where a bicyclist was going straight through the intersection and a motorist coming from the other direction made a left in front of the cyclist, causing a collision, according to the 2010 Traffic Safety Report.
Chorro and Monterey streets
A total of three accidents occurred at the intersection of Chorro and Monterey streets, but no consistent pattern was determined by the city. The problem is not the intersection itself, but people not stopping at red lights.
The intersection is clearly marked and if everyone stopped at the signal there shouldn’t be any problems, Goodwin said.
“A common problem is that bicyclist coming into downtown at Chorro and Monterey tend to not stop at the stop light, in front of Mission Plaza,” Goodwin said. “The basic not following the rules of the road is what leads to collisions.”
When collisions occur, injuries that are typically seen from the bicyclists are bumps and scrapes from exposed skin, Goodwin said. Many injuries can be prevented from the proper use of helmets and gloves.
“A lot of hand injuries occur because the first reaction is to put your hands out when you fall,” Goodwin said. “And we see a lot of head-related injuries. When bicyclists don’t wear their helmets properly, like not buckling the helmet, it comes off before the cyclist hits the ground or another object.”
Olive and Santa Rosa streets
Six accidents occurred at Santa Rosa and Walnut streets in 2010. A common pattern seen among bicycle-related collisions was a motorist making a right turn over a cyclist.
This particular intersection is also under the jurisdiction of the Caltrans, but some recommended changes proposed by San Luis Obispo are to consider painted bike lanes and intersection extensions.
As of now, the recommendations made by the city have not been brought to Caltrans’ attention just yet.
“I am not aware of that request,” Shivers said. “But anything we do will be in consultation and cooperation with the city, these are not decisions we make alone. We always want input of our partner and members of the community.”
In the mean time, Shivers said that motorists and bicyclists should use common sense and courtesy when on the road.
“Cyclists should be aware that Santa Rosa is a well-travelled corridor for vehicles, but those who drive those vehicles should know that not everyone travels around town by car and there are a number of bicyclists,” Shivers said.