A recent tragic incident in San Francisco’s Excelsior District has brought renewed attention to the dangers pedestrians face.
Around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, a pedestrian was killed by a driver, marking the tenth pedestrian fatality in the city this year.
The driver fled the scene, prompting hopes for a thorough investigation by law enforcement.
Walk San Francisco pointed out that Mission Street at Santa Rosa is part of the city’s 2022 ‘high-injury network’ map, which identifies the 12% of streets where 68% of traffic crashes occur.
Since 2015, there have been six reported traffic collisions resulting in injuries at the intersection of Mission and Santa Rosa, with five of these involving pedestrians.
The section of Mission Street where this incident occurred is notably wide, with four vehicle travel lanes, a design that can encourage speeding and creates a longer crossing distance for pedestrians.
Currently, safety improvements along this corridor are under construction as part of the Mission / Geneva Safety Project.
These improvements include new pedestrian bulb-outs at the intersection of Mission Street and Santa Rosa Avenue, with a concrete bulb-out already outlined on the pavement at the corner where the latest incident took place.
SFMTA has confirmed that the bulb-out will be a concrete extension of the curb, ensuring a more robust safety measure compared to previous temporary installations.
The completion of this work is expected early next year, but the timeline highlights a critical lapse in addressing a known dangerous street.
As noted by Streetsblog, the lengthy outreach process for safety projects costs lives.
If an immediate danger, such as a sinkhole, emerged on a street, the city would act swiftly to fix it.
However, we are currently in the midst of a traffic violence emergency, and urgency is needed when pedestrian and cyclist safety is at stake.
The history of temporary, quick-build safety installations made from plastic raises questions about their effectiveness compared to more durable solutions.
Cities like New York have made strides towards Vision Zero by utilizing solid materials like granite and concrete in their quick builds, effectively protecting pedestrians and narrowing intersections.
Considering that the driver involved in the Wednesday incident almost certainly fled due to reckless or potentially intoxicated driving, it becomes evident that installations meant to protect pedestrians must be robust enough to deter such behavior.
While the upcoming concrete curbs on Mission Street represent an improvement, they must be part of a broader strategy to halt reckless driving altogether.
A recent visit to the area revealed the failures of previous installations, which included soft-hit posts and other measures that have not adequately protected pedestrians.
This situation calls for a reevaluation of priorities in San Francisco.
The city has shown a capacity to allocate concrete for various projects, such as deterring encampments or ensuring sidewalk safety during major events.
Yet, when it comes to protecting pedestrian lives, the priorities seem misaligned.
Currently, it appears that avoiding damage to vehicles takes precedence over ensuring pedestrian safety, which undermines the goals of Vision Zero.
Marta Lindsey from Walk SF emphasized that solutions exist to enhance street safety, acknowledging the growing dangers posed by larger, more powerful vehicles and reckless driving behaviors.
She characterized this combination as a significant public health threat, reiterating the need for San Francisco to take more aggressive and comprehensive actions in addressing traffic safety.
The recent tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for transformative changes in San Francisco’s street safety measures.
image source from：sf
