Title
a. Accept the $192,521 Grant Award from the State of California Office of Traffic Safety ("State OTS") for the Safe Travels Via Salinas Project; and
b. Authorize the Director of Health or Assistant Director of Health to execute a Grant Agreement with State OTS in support of the Safe Travels Via Salinas Project for the grant period October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Accept the $192,521 Grant Award from the State of California Office of Traffic Safety ("State OTS") for the Safe Travels Via Salinas Project; and
b. Authorize the Director of Health or Assistant Director of Health to execute a Grant Agreement with State OTS in support of the Safe Travels Via Salinas Project for the grant period October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Monterey County had 31 bicycle injuries and fatalities per 100,000 population in 2013, a rate which was nearly equal to the state rate of 36 (Office of Traffic Safety Rankings 2013). The rankings identified Monterey County as 18th among the 55 reporting counties in California for bicyclists injured and killed. The City of Salinas ranked 9th among 56 similar California cities for cyclist injuries and fatalities in the state. In 2013, approximately 55 percent of Monterey County cyclist injuries occurred in the City of Salinas. Considering that approximately 36 percent of the county population reside in Salinas, Salinas residents experienced a disproportionately high percentage of cyclist injuries in 2013.
In the City of Salinas in 2015, the Police Department recorded 45 total bicycle collisions. Of those, 36 collisions resulted in injuries, and one vehicle versus bicycle collision resulted in one fatality of a 33 year old gentleman. The County of Monterey and the City of Salinas believe that some elementary, middle and high school students bike to school as an efficient and inexpensive way to commute. It is suspected that more woul...
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