A second collision on Fountain Avenue within nine days occurred on July 19 near the Crescent Heights Boulevard intersection. (photo by Sam Mulick)

Community members called for safer streets at the July 28 West Hollywood Public Safety Commission meeting in the wake of another collision on Fountain Avenue.

On July 19, a Black BMW traveling southbound on Crescent Heights Boulevard crossed Fountain Avenue and struck a person riding a motorized scooter heading eastbound on Fountain Avenue around 11 p.m., said West Hollywood Sheriff’s Lt. Ashley Turner. Turner said the person on the scooter sustained minor scrapes on their face but did not have further information on whether the rider was hospitalized. The BMW driver remained at the scene, she added.

The collision occurred in the wake of a July 10 hit-and-run on Fountain Avenue that claimed the life of 27-year-old bicyclist Blake Ackerman. Another hit-and-run occurred in West Hollywood on July 18 at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Formosa Avenue, where a motorcyclist was hospitalized. The recent traffic collisions in the city have reignited debates for increased bike lanes on Fountain Avenue.

During the meeting, the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station reported 97 traffic citations on Fountain Avenue in June compared to 11 on Santa Monica Boulevard and four on Sunset Boulevard. Members of the commission asked the sheriff’s department to do more to deter speeding along Fountain Avenue.

“We have [motorcycle deputies] that concentrate specifically on enforcement … Most of the time has been spent on Fountain in the last couple of months,” Lt. Fanny Lapkin said.

The sheriff’s department deploys multiple units to enforce traffic laws along Fountain Avenue and respond to resident concerns about speeding, Lapkin said, but did not elaborate on additional safety measures. Lapkin also said the sheriff’s department could not provide further information on the arrest of Douglas Morton Adams, the 73-year-old driver who is suspected of the hit-and-run that claimed Ackerman’s life. However, she highlighted the help of Shanna Meade, a Florida resident visiting West Hollywood who followed Adams and gave deputies information that led to his arrest.

West Hollywood residents expressed the need for increased safety measures on Fountain Avenue at the public safety meeting.

“From the beginning of the discussions about Fountain Avenue bike lanes, Gardner Avenue bike lanes, the community has been pitted against each other – pro-bike lanes, con-bike lanes. And the truth of the matter is, as you have heard in this room tonight, we all want the same things,” West Hollywood resident Cathy Blaivas said. “We need safety on Fountain now, not X amount of time after a community meeting on [Aug. 19] to discuss a streetscape plan. We need safety now.”

“It is time we take immediate action to address the speed of cars and catch the scofflaws,” resident Lynn Hoopingarner said. “The city could immediately implement cameras and speed traps to address safety today. It’s time to institute a comprehensive safety improvement plan instead of putting lipstick on a pig.”

Members of the commission expressed condolences to the Ackerman family and said they will continue working to implement safer streets.

“These are unfortunate and painful reminders of the risk on our streets and we all have to remain focused on improving infrastructure and enforcement,” public safety commissioner Brandon Blau said.

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.