On October 6, 2017, a car crash on Yosemite sent two Eagle Rock High School students to a hospital, with one of them suffering a concussion and a fractured knee. We will soon reach the two year anniversary of the horrific crash. Thankfully no crash on Yosemite has since grabbed headlines, but dozens of crashes continue to happen regularly and the imminent risk of danger remains. It is for this reason that TERA started 2019 by collaborating with old and new partners to raise the profile of safety on Yosemite Drive through a new initiative called “Slow Yosemite.” Modeled after the success of previous TERA streetscape initiatives Take Back The Boulevard and Rock The Boulevard, Slow Yosemite is a partnership with Council District 14, Eagle Rock High School, Rockdale Elementary, and the ROCK Community Center aimed at making Yosemite safer and more pleasant.
Our local school principals and Slow Yosemite steering committee members Stefani Williams and Mylene Keipp explain the importance of this initiative succinctly:
“The 1.6-mile stretch of Yosemite Drive between Eagle Rock Boulevard and Figueroa Street is on the City’s High Injury Network (HIN) and includes hundreds of residences, three public schools (K-12), churches, a recreation center, public park, small businesses, and a senior residence facility. Our kindergarten through senior high students, staff, and community members need Slow Yosemite to create safer passage for all!”
We are pleased to announce that TERA will host an open house and community kick-off at The Rock Coffee House (4808 Townsend Avenue) on Saturday, July 27th to officially introduce Slow Yosemite from 11am to 12:30pm. We invite the community to attend, learn more about the initiative and share some thoughts about how we can make Yosemite Drive safer. Following the launch, TERA will continue to host a series of neighborhood meetings and workshops throughout the year to develop a community-driven vision for a safer Yosemite that better serves local needs.
For those eager to get a preview of Slow Yosemite, TERA will have a booth at the July 4th firework show at Eagle Rock Park (scheduled for June 30 at 5pm) with informational flyers and you will have an opportunity to meet some of the steering committee members. We encourage anyone with interest in making Yosemite Drive safer to email us at president@TERA90041.org.