Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Education
The PLACE program offers a Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Education Program in collaboration with People for Mobility Justice (PMJ) and BikeLA in the Los Angeles County Unincorporated communities of East Los Angeles, Florence-Firestone, Willowbrook/West Rancho Dominguez, and Westmont/West Athens funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Through this program, PLACE provides free safety classes and workshops in English and Spanish on topics such as Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety, Rules of the Road/Know Your Rights, First Aid/Wound Care, and Bicycle Maintenance. The program also hosts activities in the community, including bike rodeos and walks while distributing safety equipment (e.g., bicycle helmets and bicycle lights) at no cost to participants.
Program Highlights
School Partnerships
PLACE partners with local schools and youth organizations to promote bicycle safety and active transportation through on-campus workshops, bike rodeos, and after-school programming. Our school partnerships help foster healthier transportation habits while encouraging students and families to view biking as a safe, joyful, and practical way to travel in their communities.
Partners include:
- Purche Avenue Elementary
- Theodore Roosevelt High School
- James A. Garfield High School
- Brooklyn Ave. School
- Extera Public Schools
- Judy F. Baca Arts Academy
- Isana Achernar Academies
- Animo Compton Charter Schools
- Girls Club LA
- Hawkins High School
Bicycle Rodeo
In 2025, PLACE coordinated a series of three community bike rodeos in Florence-Firestone, East Los Angeles, and Willowbrook/West Rancho Dominguez to promote bike safety and active transportation. The events provided residents and families with hands-on opportunities to learn essential riding skills, build confidence, and celebrate biking as a safe and enjoyable way to travel in their communities. PLACE partnered with community organizations like CicLAvia, The Wellness Center, and Bike Bus LA to deliver interactive safety courses and family-friendly activities that engaged more than 120 participants. Attendees practiced helmet fitting, starting and stopping, scanning and signaling, and obstacle navigation, while youth and families also received free safety equipment. Attendees practiced helmet fitting, starting and stopping on their bikes, scanning and signaling, and obstacle navigation, while youth and families also received free safety equipment.
Bike Rides
In 2025, PLACE hosted several community bike rides that highlighted the value of cross sector partnerships, environmental awareness, and local businesses. To highlight a few:
- In collaboration with Metro Bike Share, BikeLA hosted the “Rail to Rail” Community Bike Rides along the Slauson Avenue bike path, introducing residents to new active transportation infrastructure while providing access to free Metro Bikes, helmets, and lights to promote safe riding.
- People for Mobility Justice (PMJ)’s “Eastside Toxic Tour”, led in partnership with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, explored environmental hazard sites while emphasizing the intersection of bike safety, public health, and environmental justice.
- PMJ’s “East Side Mural Ride” promoted community connection by highlighting local murals, neighborhood landmarks, and small businesses, encouraging participants to engage with and support local establishments while building confidence and safety skills on the road.
What does the data say?
Traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries are a significant and growing public health crisis in Los Angeles County with pedestrians and bicyclists disproportionately affected. Between 2019 and 2024, there were a total of 526 fatal crashes on unincorporated Los Angeles County roadways—pedestrians made up 31% of these fatalities and bicyclists made up 3% of fatal crashes on these roadways. The unincorporated communities of East Los Angeles, Florence-Firestone, Willowbrook/West Rancho Dominguez, and Westmont/West Athens made up 57% of all pedestrian fatalities on unincorporated Los Angeles County roadways. The graph below shows the data trend for each community over the past 6 years.