Fullerton residents advocated for protected bike lanes and better street lighting at the Oct. 7 city council meeting, following an accident involving two Cal State Fullerton students on Sept. 27.
The accident involved two CSUF women’s soccer team players, Lauren Turner and Ashlyn Gwynn. The women were in critical condition after being hit by a white box truck while riding scooters at the intersection of Associated Road and Yorba Linda Boulevard.
Multiple individuals during the initial opening for public comments, described that Associated Road did not have enough street lighting, and the bike lane traveling southbound merged with traffic, placing active transporters at risk.
Fullerton resident, Dominic Moonhoart – who suffered a bike accident back in December – went over the three-minute timer reserved for each comment, urging the council to establish protected bike lanes.
“This council, the three majority on this council, for many years has been against bike lanes,” Moonhoart said. “This council for many years has said ‘we don’t have the money’ … and the thing is people are almost dying.”
Proposals to improve travel safety in Associated Road were discussed during the May 16, 2023 council meeting. The idea was to reduce the two lanes and add a protected bike lane. The council chose to delay a decision, citing that it would lead to increased traffic and resident opposition.
“We’ve seen two scooter riders injured in Yorba Linda and Associated. This was an area that actually came up before council for road safety improvements and was turned down,” said Fullerton resident Anjali Tapadia. “I myself have been hit as well by negligent drivers including right in front of the police station, and all of these things can be corrected with better infrastructure.”
Tapadia elaborated on how protected bike lanes prevent riders from being hit in a “no man’s land,” a place where the bike lane ends and merges or crosses paths with the traffic.
During the recent meeting, Mayor Fred Jung asked the city manager for staff to work with CSUF to formulate a traffic mitigation solution for the Associated Road and Yorba Linda Boulevard intersection.
Councilmember Ahmad Zahra made the motion to agendize the discussion on installing a protected bike lane at the Yorba Linda and Associated intersection, which Mayor Pro Tem Shana Charles seconded, suggesting a collaboration with CSUF.
“We really shouldn’t also have people riding their bikes and getting knocked by cars,” Zahra said. “It’s not just people who drive bikes that are experienced riders, but what about kids? They deserve to be able to go out and ride their bikes and not be worried, or their family be worried about them.”
Charles encourages scooter and e-bike drivers to wear helmets appropriate to the speed, saying that, along with infrastructure and education for safe driving, active riders should wear safety gear.
“They’re not wearing helmets, and that’s really dangerous. Those scooters do go fast, they are going into traffic,” Charles said. “If you fall off something at 20 miles an hour without a helmet, it can be absolutely devastating.”
CSUF Women’s Soccer Head Coach Demian Brown said in an interview with CBS that he’s made a rule for players to wear a helmet when riding the scooters, and that the team would provide some to those who couldn’t afford it.
According to the California Vehicle Code 21212, minors are required under the law to wear appropriate helmets when riding a bicycle, scooter, skateboard or roller skates. Those 18 or older are not required to wear one when driving an e-scooter.