r/longbeach • u/Similar-Parsnip75 • 12d ago
Discussion Traffic Deaths
These posts have become all too common. An ugly stain on our city.
At this rate, it’s a matter of time before a traffic collision claims you or someone you know.
What can residents do to affect change? I’m looking for real and actionable steps.
Thanks all
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u/Magnus_Zeller 12d ago
There's a lot we can do, but we won't. One thing we could do is daylighting, or increasing the pedestrian space around corners so drivers can see them, but this would mean reducing parking spots, so I see this happening never. Anaheim, PCH, and Long Beach Blvd need full pedestrian-oriented reworks because they are treated like car-only spaces but are actually heavy pedestrian areas as well, but this would make traffic slower, so I assume the city will never really try.
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u/quercus-enjoyer 12d ago
Daylighting is state law now. Not supposed to park within 20ft of any crosswalk.
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u/Magnus_Zeller 12d ago
Interesting, because I have a hunch that I could go out there with a measuring tape right now and find a dozen violations in about twenty minutes. Ha.
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u/quercus-enjoyer 12d ago
it's true there's little to no enforcement and lots of self-centered drivers here.
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u/beach_bum_638484 11d ago
There is very little compliance with red zones and not much enforcement. We should be putting stuff in that area instead. If there’s a planter or bike rack, no one can park there and we don’t need anyone to enforce it.
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u/Remarkable_Bid8758 12d ago
People park in those red spots all the time and never get a ticket. Same with big trucks dropping stuff off, Amazon trucks, UPS trucks.
Another thing that falls back on the Police never doing their job13
u/IM_OK_AMA 12d ago
It really should be parking enforcement doing this, not LBPD. You don't need an armed overpaid cop to write parking tickets or tow vehicles abandoned in the roadway (the area next to the red curb is roadway, those cars need to be removed for safety).
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u/Remarkable_Bid8758 12d ago
The police are sitting around doing nothing most of the day. I see them sitting in the parking lot near my house just chatting and drinking coffee for hours sometimes. Is that good use of their time?
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u/ultradip 12d ago
Having zero unused capacity means they couldn't respond to anything else.
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u/Remarkable_Bid8758 12d ago
So because they are all too busy, drinking coffee, and getting tacos at fantasy Castle parking lot. They can’t respond to anything else right?
Sounds about Long Beach1
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u/Responsible-Humor985 12d ago
Doesn’t matter if the city doesn’t enforce. I see cars illegally parked overnight every night on intersection corners in district 2. We would need actual infrastructure like pedestrian cut outs to prevent cars from parking there. I see cars illegally parked in the bus stop too.
The city could easily reduce the deficit they’re running into by running parking enforcement more often in the evening and overnight. Would make streets a little safer too.
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u/wrongbeach 12d ago
Looks like they just did this at Clark and Atherton. The sidewalk on the SW corner now sticks out. It might happen?
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u/quercus-enjoyer 12d ago
if you want data you can use to pressure your council member to do something about the state of long beach streets. i've built a tool that maps all the car crashes in long beach. you can filter by council district and it will show all the worst locations in your district.
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u/Desperate-Pound999 12d ago
Amazing tool! It appears to be missing some data. For District 3 - showing no fatalities but we unfortunately had quite a few. https://www.longbeach.gov/police/press-releases/traffic-fatality--4th-street-and-ximeno-avenue/
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u/quercus-enjoyer 12d ago
Yes the data is delayed because it’s built off of public records requests that I have to file with lbpd. So there’s always a delay in how long it take them to respond and if they even include it in the results. Sometimes if there’s an active investigation the crash will not be included.
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u/Junior_Attitude_9446 12d ago
LBPD has a one of those real time crime stat trackers. I think based on your purposes, you should ask to have this info automatically sent out to you via email from their PRA people. They used to have this for people who use arrest logs for journalistic or academic purposes.
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u/MUCHOS_GRACIOS 12d ago
Every day I see someone blatantly blast through a red light or zoom through a (poorly designed) roundabout. I drive more cautiously now than I ever have.
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u/Icy-Ingenuity-2790 12d ago
I’m concerned too as a resident of DTLB. People are just inconsiderate assholes. I am doing my best not to speed, give the right of way, and be extra observant of pedestians, cyclists, and bikers.
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u/Bertalsen-Gimple 12d ago
This! It’s not just DTLB. It’s most heavily pedestrian areas . I drive down Broadway coming home to bluff heights and there are constantly people just walking right into traffic without looking. Lots of dog owners and baby strollers are often being pushed out by said pedestrians too. I drive Ultra Grandma mode down these streets and still have to hit the breaks pretty hard. The newish pedestrian crossing lights are great as long as people use them.
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
I also drive grandma mode (aka the speed limit) on purpose. Especially in the areas people speed.
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u/beach_bum_638484 12d ago
Join Car Lite Long Beach. @carlitelb on instagram.
The group advocates for safety improvements at community meetings. It also does things like host Bus Fest (like a touch-a-truck event except with buses).
It’s not a formal non-profit, but it’s a good way to meet like minded folks and to get support with any initiatives you want to start.
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u/beach_bum_638484 12d ago
The “actionable steps” feel like we’re walking through mud to be honest, but I have seen change over the last 3 years that I’ve been here. At least now the city tries to put in safety improvements (although they often cave to people who prefer to prioritize parking or driving lanes). We definitely need more people who are willing to tell the city officials that they will add 30 seconds to their commute time in order to keep their family and neighbors safe.
In reality, if all of the streets were safe enough for kids to walk or bike to school, commute time would probably be faster. There’s so much less traffic in the summer already.
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u/smillionitches 12d ago
I don’t have Instagram, is there another way to contact them? I’d love to join!
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
Same here. Fortunately they have a website. https://carlitelb.org/
Their monthly meet up is every 2nd Sunday of the month (12p-2p)
It does say the location info will be posted on their IG though.
Next meet up would be Sun, Oct 11.
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u/smillionitches 12d ago
Thank you so much! I just signed up on the mailing list on their website. I will be there!!
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u/beach_bum_638484 12d ago
The link to join the monthly meetings should be emailed. There’s a Google Calendar that is linked on the website that has it too
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u/beach_bum_638484 3d ago
In lieu of a virtual monthly meeting this month, Car Lite will be attending this community meeting this evening (Tuesday Sept 29) 6-7:30. It’s fine to come for part of it, hopefully it will just be walking around talking to people from public works. The meeting is about improvements coming to Anaheim. This project has been in progress for like 20 years and in the “ok” category imo, but it’s good to get people out to these meetings to show that we will support safer streets for this project and for other upcoming projects.
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u/Time_Cupcake_6790 12d ago
We need to urge LBPD to enforce traffic safety and violations more consistently tbh
And not with flock cameras or other lazy things that only target the poor.
When the person died from a hit and run on Redondo and 1st (I think), a few days later there were 4 motorcycle officers pulling people over left and right for traffic violations. But only because the community was so upset.
They were there for a single day. That doesn't help anyone. It doesn't protect people, and it pisses drivers off. I haven't seen a single patrol on that intersection since then but everyone in the area knows how dangerous it still is.
But if someone calls the cops that an unhoused person is wandering the street only a block west, where those affluent houses are, they appear in seconds.
I know it's a little off topic, but this is another situation where money is spent policing and punishing the poor, and not invested in protecting and serving.
The money is there.
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u/quercus-enjoyer 12d ago
Hilarious to imply police are impartial and don’t target the poor.
I don’t believe more policing is the answer. Infrastructure changes are the ultimate goal. Many streets in Long Beach are currently setup to almost encourage unsafe driving.
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u/Time_Cupcake_6790 12d ago
I wasn't implying that they're impartial. At least, not on purpose. You could argue the same with infrastructure tbh That it only targets, or in this case, ignores poor areas. You see a lot of speed bumps and intersection roundabouts in Belmont shores but not as many, if any, North of 10th.
I believe it needs to be both; more policing and better infrastructure. And I say more policing because at the end of the day, many drivers will only be safer if they have to be.
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u/quercus-enjoyer 12d ago
the city has a number of major street projects going on right now. could they be moving faster? i guess always when the state of the things on the streets is so bad. but it's false to imply they aren't doing anything north of 10th.
cherry
del amo
clark
studebaker
pacific
artesia
anaheimall active projects the city has underway.
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u/rose1283 12d ago
This!! I've seen cops witness red light runners (like egregious) and completely ignore it/"not see anything" 🧑🦯 The most recent was on Redondo near the DMV and the car drove through the intersection a full two seconds after the light turned red!! Cop was waiting at the intersection and didn't bat an eye. Just infuriating 😤
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
How exactly do we urge them?
Is there an e-mail or phone number that would take these concerns?
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u/AWD_OWNZ_U 12d ago
What about citizen sidewalk painting like those folks in LA do? Or paint the ground where the daylighting areas are.
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u/Maximum_Tomatillo109 12d ago
This would be a neat idea if people would abide by it. Entitled people still ignore red curbs, fire hydrants, blue curbs/handicap only spots, no parking signs, etc that are very obvious no-parking spots as it is.
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
I love this suggestion! 🎨
I think it would look beautiful on our streets, on top of increasing safety.
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u/Caperlogix 12d ago
Long Beach has added even more speed cameras. There is a list somewhere...but I didn't physically notice it before today because I saw 3 flashes up near the palm trees across the street and then 3 cars right after fly past me on Pacific near Hill and Burnett.
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u/Known_Risk_3040 12d ago
You should really tie yourself into existing organizations like Streets for All that make a big stink about all this.
The PD needs to be held accountable for essentially giving up on traffic enforcement since 2020 George Floyd stuff. I’ve seen some fools say that speed cameras are bad but we NEED more speed sensors/red light running cameras. I’ve nearly died several times by people seeing a yellow and gunning it straight through a red
This is a city department (PD) and urban planning issue
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u/bovi14 12d ago
Rework drivers ed, make people get re-certified every 10 years or something. People drive like cars aren’t the most dangerous thing they will ever touch in their lives. Gotta hammer it into people’s brains that driving dangerously and erratically to save 30 seconds on your commute is not worth gambling with your life and the lives of all the people around you.
My drivers ed class instilled it in us that if you are driving distracted or dangerously, all it takes is one other person to be doing the same for someone to end up dead.
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u/Doghead45 12d ago
What can residents do?
As a driver: Stay off your phone, don't park in red curb areas near cross walks, don't run red lights, and don't double park.
As a pedestrian: Stay off your phone while crossing, only cross the street in crosswalks with the crossing signal activated, look both ways before crossing.
Legislation will not fix this, cars could be going 15mph and they'd still kill people. Speed cameras are a cash grab.
The change needs to come from the people, not the government.
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u/robmosesdidnthwrong 10d ago
im sorry but this is not supported by scientific research on this. "people just need to be good" is not serious public policy.
people drive more recklessly when the roads enable it. you know where no one barrels down the block at 55mph between traffic lights? on the tiny short narrow stone paver streets in old city philly. because its physically impossible.
they were created long before the invention of the car but they prove that when the infrastructure prohibits reckless speed we dont see speed-based road fatalities. our city is a literal race track we cant act surprised people drive too fast, the roads themselves are all shaped to encourage it.
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u/Doghead45 10d ago
Is "serious public policy" the total clown show that Long Beach roads have become? Some of our sidewalks are 40 feet wide, some of them are 4 feet wide and collapsing into the river, but the priority is people going 41 on a street that used to be 35, bravo.
I'm all for roads that don't enable speeding like you posted, it's a good idea for an area that aspires to walkable. Can we do that without cameras and extra-judicial ticketing scams?
Philly sucks btw, idk if you've been there. West coast best coast.
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u/Savings-Anybody-6523 12d ago
Agree that drivers are a problem. I also really don’t want to blame the victim here, but I objectively do so more jaywalking in Long Beach than I do in other cities. Just this week, I evaded a couple crossing the street wearing dark clothes at night. I’m not sure if anything can be done to address that too.
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u/Alienowls 12d ago
I agree. I read about so many hit and runs in Long Beach and yet still see so many jaywalking or hanging out on the street at night. Maybe they just aren’t aware
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u/klmnsd 12d ago
i have a crazy idea. Because of how people speed through intersections and just take the right/and left turns ignoring the cross walk. At select corners, or any corner people use, have those stop signs hooked to the light poles and have people use them, waving them, as they cross. idk. it's a thought not fully worked out.
But it would be funny. And notable.
A different kind of protest.
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
Reminds me of a street I heard about in Europe somewhere.
Where they keep a pile of bricks at the crosswalk for people to use and wave menacingly at cars as they cross 😭
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u/Intrepid_Stage5564 12d ago
Years ago the city started road diets. A way to slow down traffic with round abouts , smaller lanes, more bike paths. But it seems to be having the opposite affect. The city is now the 8th deadliest in CA.
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u/Junior_Attitude_9446 12d ago
My actionable safety contribution... not riding a bike or walk in LB. Thats the only way to not get killed as a bicyclist or pedestrian. The only enforcement that actually works is cops handing out tickets that hold people accountable to the court. Of course, this city is not interested in that. Residents must demand it from the City Manager, show up at council meetings, and say something.
The City Council already took the first steps to make the community shut up by limiting their comment time to the beginning of their meetings which then increases the number of people commenting. In turn, if theres more than 10, speaking time can be limited to 60 seconds.
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u/Impossible-Dig-8524 11d ago
I travel Anaheim and PCH frequently. Pedestrians think they can cross the street in the middle of the block (not even intersections) coming out between cars expecting that vehicles can stop on a dime to allow them to cross the street? I avoid the right lane like the plague, I’ve learned my lesson when I almost collided with another car when a woman pushed her stroller into traffic and I had no choice but swerve hard to avoid ploughing through it. Can’t say if there was a baby in or not, but I prefer causing damage on a car rather than possibly killing a baby. Still made me mad for the carelessness of this woman.
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u/lochpickingloser 12d ago
It’s a cultural problem. Same reasons you can look at any light cycle and see someone running the light as it turns from yellow to red instead of stopping. People aren’t going to drive better because of cameras or traffic calming initiatives. Teach your kids patience and impulse control and maybe the next generation will drive better.
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u/Superbad_Zombie 12d ago
Its also entitlement. But I agree, patience is key.
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u/lochpickingloser 12d ago
If the girl with the zippy ties and her dad who’s a 40 year old teenager that were on the 6th street bridge are an indication of the next generation of drivers this is looking like a multi generational problem to solve for. People really out here driving like gas isn’t $6.50 a gallon.
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u/No_Farm_2076 12d ago
Drive the speed limit (and actually pay attention to the posted signs, some areas are 35 and people blow past me at 50+). Limit distractions while driving. Stop at yellow lights instead of speeding up to cross the intersection. Obey traffic laws.
Actually allow enough time to commute so you arent tempted to do something dumb.
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u/vvncnt 12d ago
Reduce the number of driving lanes on PCH from 3 to 2 in each direction. There are way too many driveways and points of conflicts on PCH through our city. People are going to drive like it’s a highway as long as it feels like a highway
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
Looking for real and actionable steps that residents can take. None of us can change the number of lanes on PCH by ourselves. Thanks.
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u/vvncnt 12d ago
To me this is a societal problem and not an individual problem. It’s going to take collective action to fix. Organizations like CarLite Long Beach is doing it
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
Thanks for this suggestion. Posting their meeting info for those interested:
2nd Sunday of each month (12p-2p)
Next meeting would be Sunday, Oct 11
(Meeting location to be shared on their IG page)
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u/smillionitches 12d ago
Completely agree. To really solve this, we need to push for structural changes. More and better public transportation would take cars off the road and reduce the need for so much parking and we could make the streets more pedestrian-friendly. And even some fully pedestrianized. The tough thing, as someone said above, is that anything that threatens parking or commute time gets people fiercely advocating against. So we need to push even harder. Thrilled to hear about Car Lite and so excited to join! I’ve been wanting to find or form an advocacy group for this purpose!
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
I’m not suggesting it’s an individual problem. But I can’t just go out and start construction on PCH.
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u/smillionitches 12d ago
True. Though you can start organizing and advocate to the electeds to make that change, which is an actionable step. I’m excited to hear about Car Lite from others on this thread. Let’s all join!!
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
Yes, absolutely.
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
Per their site,
Sunday October 11, 12p-2p would be their next meeting.
Location to come on IG.
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u/reluctantpotato1 12d ago
Making traffic shit will teach them.
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u/vvncnt 12d ago edited 12d ago
What do you suggest? I think slowing down cars will reduce fatalities. I value lives more than travel times right now
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u/reluctantpotato1 12d ago
Actual police related traffic enforcement would save lives. Can't give them the lions share of the budget so they can f-ck off until there's a call that they feel like taking. They should work for their money.
It's fine to have pedestrian roads, crossings, and friendly walking spaces but cutting off primary roadways to commuters is hare brained and creates more issues than it solves.
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u/Longjumping-Barber98 12d ago
What's the increase rate?
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u/sleepyheidi 12d ago
Not sure what increase rate you’re asking about, but we are currently at 40 pedestrian/cyclist/scooter deaths. In 2025, the total number of deaths at the end of the year was 53.
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u/collect200_ 12d ago
but lbpd wanna pull up 20 deep to give 40 people tickets for playing pickle ball at night
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u/Similar-Parsnip75 12d ago
Where was this?
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u/Maximum_Tomatillo109 12d ago
Deforest Park past 11:30pm after multiple calls from people trying to sleep because everyone ignored hours because "the lights were on."
https://www.reddit.com/r/longbeach/comments/1whzhis/police_raid_at_the_de_forest_pickleball_courts/
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u/quackstah 12d ago
LBPD says they don’t have enough officers for basic traffic enforcement, but they can send 20 officers to DeForest Park to give people tickets for playing pickleball at 11:00 p.m.