More than seven years have passed since Christian Rose was cycling down his usual route in San Francisco’s Richmond District, a day he had always dreaded finally arrived.
A car careened into the bike lane on Arguello Boulevard, striking him and violently tossing him over its hood.
Rose, who had just completed his emergency medicine residency at UCSF, felt an ominous sense of reality as he landed on his right hip, convinced that it was broken.
His journey as an emergency physician made him all too familiar with the frequency of such accidents, leading him to joke during shifts that he hoped he wouldn’t be back to work too soon as a patient.
Reflecting on the incident, he expressed disbelief that he was experiencing the very scenario he had often feared.
The spot where Rose was hit is located on San Francisco’s high-injury network—streets deemed most hazardous due to severe injuries and fatalities from vehicle crashes.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) emphasizes that this network is a priority for resource allocation to prevent future accidents.
His collision occurred three years into the city’s ambitious Vision Zero initiative—an effort aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities through infrastructure improvements and behavior modifications by drivers.
Unfortunately, the campaign officially ended in December 2023 without reaching its intended goals, prompting frustration among transportation safety advocates who are urging Mayor Daniel Lurie and city officials to take more decisive action.
Less than half a mile from where Rose faced his ordeal, another cyclist tragically lost their life on Arguello Boulevard, further underscoring the urgent need for effective safety measures.
Despite these alarming incidents, Rose noted that the intersection at Cornwall and Arguello appeared unchanged during his recent ride, highlighting a stagnation in improvements to street safety.
“Nothing has changed on the entire section,” he stated, emphasizing the lack of new traffic signs or modifications.
In 2014, Vision Zero was introduced to San Francisco, following several years of alarming pedestrian fatalities and injuries due to vehicle collisions.
Former Supervisor Norman Yee championed this initiative, which aimed to harmonize efforts across city agencies to enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians and redesign roadways to prevent fatal crashes.
The policy’s initial action plan set ambitious objectives, including safety enhancements across at least 13 miles of roadways annually within high-injury areas, as well as assessments of effective accident prevention strategies.
At the time of Vision Zero’s inception, the city experienced an average of 20 pedestrian deaths yearly alongside hundreds of critical injuries resulting from traffic incidents.
The plan pledged that through concerted, collaborative efforts, San Francisco would see safer, more livable streets and work towards eliminating traffic-related fatalities by 2024.
Yet, as the campaign expired, it concluded on a grim note, marking one of the deadliest years for traffic incidents in the city.
“The biggest tragedy is that 2024 was the worst year for traffic violence, and particularly for pedestrians, it was the worst year for traffic deaths since 2007,” lamented Jodie Medeiros, the executive director of Walk SF, a pedestrian advocacy group.
Statistics revealed that 24 pedestrians were fatally struck last year, including a family of four waiting at a bus stop when a vehicle veered off course.
Overall, 42 individuals lost their lives in traffic collisions while walking, biking, or driving, alongside countless others facing serious injuries.
While progress has been made in terms of infrastructure and safety measures since 2014, Medeiros identified a slow pace of policy change as a critical factor sustaining high injury and death rates on the streets.
In a recent hearing by the city’s Land Use and Transportation Committee, the Department of Public Health presented data showcasing traffic-related deaths and injuries from 2023—the latest completed data available—highlighting the need for urgent action.
The advocates argue that without decisive leadership and coordination between city agencies, the goals of Vision Zero remain far from tangible.
During a recent gathering at City Hall, Medeiros and fellow advocates laid out ten pairs of shoes—symbolic of ten lives lost in vehicle accidents just within 2025.
Their somber protest voiced a strong demand for immediate policy renewal and for Mayor Lurie to take the initiative in creating a revitalized Vision Zero by summer’s end.
A necessary component of this renewed vision, they argue, is an interagency traffic safety plan with input from SFMTA, public health and works departments, and emergency services.
Medeiros expressed optimism that Lurie can effectively gauge the challenges the agencies face and develop a robust plan that prioritizes safety.
Another pressing concern raised by Walk SF and Bay Area Families for Safer Streets advocates is the issue of speeding, a significant contributor to crashes.
Advocate Jenny Yu recounted a personal story of her mother, who endured severe injuries from a car collision while crossing the street.
“Dangerous speeding is a risk factor,” she stated, emphasizing the need for targeted efforts in the new traffic safety policy to address this menace.
Data indicates that speeding is linked to one in five road accidents, and the potential for severe injury or death increases dramatically with speed.
The city recently reported its first-month data from speed-monitoring cameras, which are intended to penalize drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than ten mph.
Initial reports showed that 31,000 warnings were issued on high-injury network streets in March.
Once all cameras have operated for 60 days, tickets will be levied against offending drivers, a step that advocates hope will influence safer driving behavior.
Medeiros pointed to New York City’s similar initiatives, which have seen a reduction in accidents and speeds since implementing an extensive camera enforcement program as part of their Vision Zero plan.
The urgency of the situation is further reflected in the letter sent by Walk SF to Mayor Lurie, advocating for a reduction in speed limits across high-injury networks and commercial streets and more significant measures to enhance pedestrian safety.
Medeiros shared successful strategies from neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, which saw their speed limits dropped to 20 mph, creating significant changes in crash rates.
For such improvements to be realized citywide, Medeiros underscored the critical need for enhanced cooperation and accountability among city agencies involved in the safety initiative.
“There has been a leadership void on this issue,” she remarked, pressing the need for Mayor Lurie to adopt Vision Zero as a principal part of his agenda and ensure timely action on safety enhancements.
With miles of high-injury networks still perilous, and several speed cameras yet to be installed, the city continues to grapple with the aftermath of past promises unfulfilled.
Furthermore, plans to enforce parking restrictions for daylighting at intersections have been postponed, adding to the concerns regarding accountability and thorough implementation of safety measures.
“Who has been held accountable? There’s no evidence that any individual has faced consequences for the ongoing safety issues on our streets,” questioned Rose, highlighting the pressing need for enacting and enforcing necessary changes.
With hopes pinned on Mayor Lurie, advocates are awaiting a strong commitment to improving street safety and preventing further tragedies on San Francisco’s roadways.
As Jodie Medeiros poignantly noted, “Vision Zero cities are where mayors embrace the initiative and hold agencies accountable for transformative citywide changes.”
The community’s eyes are on Lurie as they advocate for a revitalized push towards a safer future for all San Francisco residents.
image source from：https://www.kqed.org/news/12041243/san-franciscos-streets-still-deadly-advocates-want-lurie-to-do-more
