Community and family members of Blake Ackerman gathered outside West Hollywood City Hall on July 18 to call for increased bicycle safety. (photo by Peter Bonilla)

Approximately 90 people gathered on July 18 at the site where 27-year-old bicyclist Blake Ackerman died in a hit-and-run to commemorate his life and call for increased bicycle safety in West Hollywood. The death of Ackerman, who was struck and killed by a driver on July 10 while riding his bicycle on Fountain Avenue near Gardner Street, has reignited debates within the city for increased bike lanes on Fountain Avenue.

West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers and Councilman Danny Hang joined community members at the vigil before the group marched to City Hall. Councilwoman Lauren Meister also attended the vigil but did not participate in the march. Community members held signs that read “Bike lanes save lives,” “Blake lives” and “How many parking spots is a life worth to you?” Outside City Hall, Byers and Hang spoke in support of bike lanes and increased safety measures along Fountain Avenue.

“As a councilmember, I’m going to continue pushing for what I campaigned on – having safer streets. That’s going to be me calling for protected bike lanes. That’s also going to be me pushing for traffic calming measures,” Hang said in a speech at the rally. “That’s also going to be me pushing for creating a safer space so that we can all walk, bike and drive so that nobody ends up like Blake.”

The West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station arrested 73-year-old Douglas Morton Adams on July 15 for the fatal hit-and-run. Although a representative from the sheriff’s department did not disclose further details of the arrest, Shanna Meade, a Florida resident who was visiting West Hollywood and witnessed the hit-and-run, said she followed Adams after the collision and reported his license plate to deputies. Meade was then told by sheriff’s deputies to stop following the suspect. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has yet to announce charges related to the collision and did not respond to a request for comment.

Community members gathered at the site of the hit-and-run collision, where a ghost bike memorial was placed for Blake Ackerman. (photo by Peter Bonilla)

Damian Kevitt, executive director of Streets Are For Everyone, a grassroots organization advocating for bicyclist safety, said there has been a “shocking” increase in the amount of recent traffic violence in West Hollywood. People often flee the scene of hit-and-runs because drivers are penalized less for a hit-and-run than they are for driving under the influence, Kevitt said. He added that it is difficult to increase penalties for hit-and-runs because it is a politically unpopular position.

“That is a huge factor and that is where the law needs to catch up,” he said.

Kevitt added that reducing traffic congestion by adding surface area on streets has not been successful in Los Angeles and that using alternative means of transportation is a more effective way of reducing vehicle congestion.

Another hit-and-run occurred in West Hollywood blocks away from the rally on July 18 at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Formosa Avenue. William Yates, 33, was arrested after colliding with a motorcycle and fleeing. The victim was hospitalized, and his condition was not disclosed.

A petition created in the wake of Ackerman’s death calls for City Council members to install a red light camera at the intersection of Fountain Avenue and Gardner Street. It has received more than 200 signatures as of July 23.

Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who authored a law passed in 2023 that helps California cities implement speed cameras, said the problem of traffic violence needs to be addressed holistically.

“We need to be thinking about this from every angle, from the way we design vehicles, to what safety features are in vehicles, to employing technology like speed cameras across the state in a thoughtful way, to driver’s education,” she said.

Friedman also commended West Hollywood and other cities for implementing safer traffic measures, calling the increase in fatal collisions a “public health crisis.”

However, some local officials remain opposed to the redesign of Fountain Avenue, including Vice Mayor John Heilman and Meister, who previously voted against a grant that would fund bike lanes on the street. Heilman said that bike lanes on Fountain Avenue would significantly increase congestion and slow emergency vehicles, and instead advocated for stricter traffic safety measures. Meister also said the current Fountain Avenue streetscape plan does address the need for residential parking and ADA-compliant sidewalks on the street.

West Hollywood will host a Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project community meeting on Aug. 19 from 6-8 p.m. at the Plummer Park Community Center, where residents can view updated streetscape plans and share their views on the street’s conditions.