Commuting is a way of life in Los Angeles. Each day, bicyclists and motorists share the roads with hundreds of buses, trains, and pedestrians. The Los Angeles County Fire Department wants you to stay safe during your commute, so whether you walk, ride a bicycle, or drive a car, follow these simple tips to keep you safe while navigating the open road.

Safety Tips for Bicyclists:

• Always obey traffic signs and signals, and follow roadway markings. 
• Ride in the same direction as traffic. 
• Use hand signals before turning, stopping, or changing lanes.
• Ride in a straight line; do not weave in between parked cars. 
• Always wear a helmet. Wearing a helmet is the law for children and adolescents under the age of 18 in the State of California. 
• Be alert while riding; watch for opening doors from parked cars. 
• Riding while wearing headphones in both ears is prohibited by law. 
• Always yield to pedestrians.

Learn about Bicycle Education and Registration

Safety Tips for Pedestrians:

• Always walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk and you have to walk in the road, always walk facing traffic, so you can see any car coming toward you.
• Dress to be visible. Brightly colored clothing makes it easier for drivers to see you during the daytime. At night, wear special reflective material on your shoes, cap, or jacket to reflect the headlights of cars coming towards you. 
• Know and obey traffic laws. Cross only at corners or marked crosswalks.

The City launched a comprehensive public safety media campaign in October 2014. This includes transit-shelter ads located throughout the City of West Hollywood and large electronic and traditional billboards on Santa Monica Boulevard, the Sunset Strip, and key gateway locations for West Hollywood. The campaign features three distinct ads:

1. Wink, Then Walk features a handsome shirtless man who is walking and approaching a crosswalk — “Make eye contact with drivers before you cross the street” urges the ad, “what happens next is up to you.”
2. Look, Don’t Like displays a distracted driver who is thumbing through a social media app while holding a smart phone — “Watch the street, not the screen,” suggests the billboard, “you might like what you see in the crosswalk.”

3. Ride, Don’t Race displays an attractive young woman racing past the library on a bicycle – “Stop at signs and signals,” the ad reminds cyclist, that they too must obey the rules of the road, “you never know who is around the next corner.”  

There are also Wink/Look/Ride ads on social media and web-based placements in a variety of online publications as well as on mobile apps such as Grindr. The billboards and ads were produced by the City’s Communications Division, which contracted with Jim Pietras Creative and Melinda Risolo of DMR Creative Services for the development of the ads. Additional plans are in progress for a bicyclist safety ad, as well.

The crosswalk safety campaign reflects the education component of a coordinated three-part pedestrian safety plan for “Engineering, Education, and Enforcement,” which is currently being implemented by the City.

As a part of the Engineering component of the three-part “Engineering, Education, and Enforcement” pedestrian safety plan, the City of West Hollywood is currently installing four signalized crosswalks at the following intersections:

• Palm Avenue
• Hancock Avenue
• Westmount Drive
• West Knoll Drive 

Click here for additional information about the City’s Pedestrian Signals on Santa Monica Boulevard Project and the latest construction updates.

For more information: 

City of West Hollywood Public Safety Department: (323) 848-6414  TTY (323) 848-6496
West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station: (310) 855-8850
Russian Pedestrian Safety Brochure