Images courtesy Metro Communications
10:09am | Police marked the first day of an effort to crack down on traffic violations near the Blue Line metro tracks in Long Beach on Monday, issuing more than 100 citations in just over two hours. Eighteen motorcycle officers from the Long Beach Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department participated in the roundup.
The effort had been planned far in advance, but recent accidents that included the death of a bicyclist a few weeks ago added a level of seriousness to the event. It was the seventh Blue Line death since it opened in 1990. Police will begin watching traffic and pedestrian violations that include illegal left turns, jaywalking and using cell phones while driving. Fines average more than $500.
“We can’t build a bubble around the Blue Line to protect people from themselves,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. “So we all must learn to look, listen and live.”
The office of Knabe posted the following video from yesterday’s press conference.
Disclosure: Long Beach Post publisher Shaun Lumachi is under contract with the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe.