El Monte, CA, July 6, 2021 - From a competitive pool of applicants across Southern California, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has awarded funding to Active San Gabriel Valley (ActiveSGV) to implement two traffic safety projects in the San Gabriel Valley. The funding is part of the Go Human Community Streets Mini-Grants Program, which focuses on building street-level community resiliency and increasing the safety of people most harmed by traffic injuries and fatalities, including people with disabilities; frontline workers; and Black, Indigenous and People of Color.

The Reimagine Poplar project in the City of Alhambra is designed to identify and demonstrate potential measures to improve the safety of Poplar Blvd for all road users. The project will include a crash course for neighborhood residents on potential safety demonstration options, a physical installation of a short-term demonstration project, and a project evaluation including identification of next steps.

The SGV Re-Cycle project will support those who experience transportation uncertainties at a greater rate. ActiveSGV will repair donated bicycles and distribute them to people and families in need of a low-cost mode of mobility. Working in partnership with local organizations that serve high-need populations such as a local food bank in El Monte, ActiveSGV will select community members for whom the cost of a bicycle is a barrier. Each program participant will have the bicycle adjusted to fit them properly and receive safety training on how to properly operate it.

SCAG’s 2021 program focuses on supporting leadership and capacity-building strategies. The Mini-Grants Program centers resilient streets, a framework for using street space for community resiliency, recovery, and resource delivery that prioritizes disadvantaged communities and communities most harmed by traffic injuries and fatalities. This framework emphasizes community-driven co-creation, where community engagement is a key element in the project. “ActiveSGV looks forward to collaborating with residents of Poplar Boulevard to implement a demonstration project that showcases potential long-term safety improvements,” shared ActiveSGV Special Programs Director Wes Reutimann. “Our Bicycle Safety Team is also eager to support residents of the SGV in need of a bicycle as a form of affordable means of mobility with recycled bicycles in good condition.”

Both programs will be implemented between June 14, 2021, and August 27, 2021. SCAG’s Go Human campaign and the Community Streets Mini-Grants Program is supported with funding by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information about the program, please contact ActiveSGV Education Director Jose Jimenez.

‍About the Southern California Association of Governments
‍SCAG is the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties, 191 cities and nearly 19 million residents. SCAG undertakes a variety of planning and policy initiatives to plan for a livable and sustainable Southern California now and in the future. For more information about SCAG’s regional efforts, please visit www.scag.ca.gov.