SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department will be conducting a two-day enforcement operation starting on Friday, March 10 and on Monday, March 13 to heighten traffic enforcement in an effort to lower the frequency of injuries and fatalities from accidents involving bicycles and pedestrians, SMPD Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks indicated in a press release.
Officers will be instructed to watch for traffic violations of all kinds, but the department will be directing special enforcement efforts toward drivers “speeding, making illegal turns, failing to stop for signs and signals, failing to yield to pedestrians in cross walks and similar dangerous violations.”
Enforcement will not only be directed toward motorists but also pedestrians who cross the street illegally or fail to yield to drivers who have the right of way. Bicyclists will be issued citations for failure to follow similar traffic laws that apply to motorists.
Canyon News spoke with Public Relations Officer Lt. Saul Rodriguez of the SMPD, who indicated that enforcement will not take place in a specific location, but “throughout the city,” focusing on areas which are high with traffic, heavily populated, or have received complaints in the past.
To avoid citation, the department reminds the public that helmets are required for cyclists under the age of 18, and for pedestrians to cross the street only in marked crosswalks or at corners.
