Full Notification

In response to concern for the safety of pedestrians, on Thursday, February 2, 2012 the Santa Barbara Police Department’s Traffic Unit conducted pedestrian crosswalk directed patrols at three locations within the city. This enforcement effort stemmed from citizen complaints of vehicles speeding and not yielding to pedestrians while in a crosswalk, in violation of sections 22350 and 21950 of the California Vehicle Code.

The locations where the enforcement activities took place were the intersections of De La Vina Street & Los Olivos Street, Milpas Street & Ortega Street, and Coast Village Road & Butterfly Lane. A total of sixty citations were issued for violation of 21950 VC, failure to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The number of citations issued at each location was as follows: De La Vina Street – 18, Milpas Street – 28, Coast Village Road – 14. Additionally, two of the motorists on Milpas Street were cited for being unlicensed drivers and had their vehicles impounded.

The selection of the locations for this enforcement effort was not random. Fatal traffic collisions involving pedestrians have occurred at both the Milpas Street and Coast Village Road locations, and De La Vina Street is an area of heightened concern for pedestrian safety. Since July 2007, twelve traffic fatalities have occurred in Santa Barbara, nine of which involved pedestrians.