New concerns comes as bike safety becomes an issue in Salinas

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Salinas residents are concerned about bike and pedestrian safety along various streets. May is National Bike Safety Month, and many in the community are speaking out about various pedestrian safety concerns around the city. 

“We used to have to move aside because people would ride their bikes on the sidewalk, and now there's more room for pedestrians,” says Mateo Sixtos, who lives in Salinas. 

Mateo says he enjoys taking walks with his son around the neighborhood, yet most of the time would have to push his kid's stroller into the grass to let cyclists pass by. 

Last week, the Salinas City Council looked to address pedestrian safety along certain streets. Some, like Malvina Torres, feel more should be done.

“Manejan sin cuidado a donde hay escuelas,” they drive recklessly, she says, adding that she was recently almost run over by a biker who was on the sidewalk instead of the designated bike lane. 

Data from the Salinas Police Department shows that in 2024, 90 incidents of vehicle vs. pedestrian were reported. Of those, 72 people were injured and 6 were fatal. So far in 2025, 24 incidents have been reported, with 3 of them fatal and 18 resulting in some sort of injury. 

“I think if we are able to invest more, that would not only help people around the community,” Mateo adds. “I believe, if there's some sense of direction for bike lanes, there would be fewer accidents.” 

Already, some streets have protected bike lanes, yet others, like Natividad Road, show signs were cyclists must share the road with oncoming traffic. 

“There are times when people are in a rush and they forget the signs, and they forget, or in order to make it to work on time, they sometimes overspeed, and I believe as a biker, I feel like there's more probability of accidents.”

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County continues working its Vision Zero plan, which hopes to eliminate pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities by implementing engineering projects throughout the county.  They hope to fully integrate their plan by 2026.