SF Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee

U.S. officials encouraged adoption of a European effort to save lives, but opposition from drivers and lack of spending have derailed it.

America’s plan to protect pedestrians failed. A young woman’s death reveals why. U.S. officials adopted Europe's Vision Zero initiative, but many cities have seen an increase in pedestrian fatalities despite efforts to improve road safety.

"California claims the dubious distinction of having five of its metropolitan areas land on Smart Growth America's list of the top twenty most dangerous cities for pedestrians. Bakersfield ( #4), Fresno ( #7), the Inland Empire ( #12), Stockton ( #19), and the Sacramento/Roseville/Folsom ( #20) all experienced between three and four pedestrian deaths per 1,000 people in the period between 2018 and 2022.
But even those California cities whose dire fatality rates did not earn them a spot at the very top of the list show an alarming long-term trend of increasing fatalities. Out of the 101 cities analyzed and ranked by Smart Growth America, very few showed a downward trend in pedestrian death rates, and none of those were in California."

Report: Pedestrian Deaths at a Forty-Year High - Streetsblog California Dangerous By Design report shows trends are going in the wrong direction in most metropolitan areas. California is no exception.

"Crossing the street should be a simple task, but for many pedestrians in San Francisco, they need to be on high alert for drivers navigating the city streets.
Ronen Reynolds, a regular visitor to the West Portal public library, shared his concerns about the challenges pedestrians face, especially at confusing intersections like Ulloa and Wawona streets.
'It's sort of bad for pedestrians because it's a little bit tricky. Because one thing I don't like is like when the lights is like 15 seconds for an old person and that's when something happens,' Reynolds remarked."

San Francisco police hold sting operation to cite drivers who don't yield to pedestrians Crossing the street should be a simple task, but for many San Francisco pedestrians, they need to be on high alert for drivers navigating the streets.

“As San Francisco hits the 10-year anniversary of its 2014 “Vision Zero” plan to eliminate all traffic fatalities this year, the effort has clearly failed: Nearly as many people are dying on city streets as ever.”

Experts say Vision Zero, SF's failed attempt to eliminate road deaths, has zero vision Nearly as many people are dying on city streets as ever: 273 people since 2014; and 39 in 2022 — more than in any year since 2007.

"More than 150 people attended a vigil Monday evening to grieve a man and a woman and their young child, all three of whom were killed after being struck by an SUV while waiting at a bus stop in West Portal Saturday afternoon.
Community members gathered near the scene of the crash on Ulloa Street near West Portal Avenue, where a banner reading 'SF Grieves' was posted over a makeshift memorial brimming with flowers and stuffed animals."

Crowd mourns family members killed in deadly West Portal crash Residents called on the city to make traffic improvements and make San Francisco safer by investing in public transit.

"A pedestrian injured in a hit-and-run crash died Monday, according to Walk San Francisco, a nonprofit that advocates for street safety.
The nonprofit, citing San Francisco police, said a 76-year-old man was hit Sunday at 6:40 p.m. while he was crossing the intersection of Alemany Boulevard at Rousseau Street in the Mission Terrace neighborhood. The driver of the vehicle that hit the man fled the scene, according to Walk San Francisco."

Pedestrian dies after hit-and-run in S.F. A pedestrian who was struck Sunday by a hit-and-run driver died from his injuries Monday, according to Walk San Francisco.

"A pedestrian was killed by a driver in a hit-and-run in San Francisco's SoMa early Thursday morning, authorities said.
San Francisco police say officers responded within three minutes to a 4:54 a.m. call reporting the collision on Sixth Street between Bryant and Brannan streets. When officers arrived, they found a person suffering from life-threatening injuries."

Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run in San Francisco A pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run collision in San Francisco's South of Market early Thursday morning, authorities said.

"Ten years ago, San Francisco began a program called "Vision Zero" to end all pedestrian fatalities by 2024, and, obviously, that goal has not been met.
But a new state law just went into effect on Monday that may make things safer around crosswalks, even if it does face challenges in a place like San Francisco."

San Francisco could become safer for pedestrians under new parking law A new state law just went into effect on Monday that may make things safer around crosswalks, even if it does face challenges in a place like San Francisco.

"Sometime around 2009, American roads started to become deadlier for pedestrians, particularly at night. Fatalities have risen ever since, reversing the effects of decades of safety improvements. And it’s not clear why.
What’s even more perplexing: Nothing resembling this pattern has occurred in other comparably wealthy countries. In places like Canada and Australia, a much lower share of pedestrian fatalities occurs at night, and those fatalities — rarer in number — have generally been declining, not rising."

Why Are So Many American Pedestrians Dying at Night? (Gift Article) Nothing resembling this pattern has occurred in other comparably wealthy countries.

"Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed MTC- and ABAG-backed AB 645, which authorizes San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose to pilot speed camera safety technology.
Cameras slow speeds by detecting and capturing images of vehicles traveling dangerously over the speed limit. Fines, which will be sent in the mail, range from $50 to $500 depending on speed. The system would be managed by a city’s transportation department.
Speed safety cameras are a common sense and low-cost approach to addressing what the Centers for Disease Control raises as a major health and safety issue. "

Speed Cameras Finally Allowed in Bay Area in New Pilot Program, Governor Signs MTC- and ABAG-Backed Bill Learn about the Bay Area’s proposed regional bond measure to invest in the production and preservation of affordable housing.

"The intersection where a 4-year-old girl in a stroller was fatally struck by an SUV Tuesday has a history of crashes, according to police data.
There were 14 car crashes that resulted in injury between Jan. 1, 2018, and March 31, 2023, at Fourth and King streets, according to data from the San Francisco Police Department. March 31 is the cutoff for the most recently available data from the city.
That ranks the intersection—blocks away from Oracle Park—177th out of San Francisco’s 4,000-plus intersections for the most crashes that resulted in injury."

San Francisco Intersection Where Girl, 4, Was Killed Has Dangerous Past The San Francisco intersection where a young girl was killed had a history of serious crashes, police data shows.

"A vigil was held Wednesday at the intersection of 4th and King Streets, the scene of a deadly pedestrian crash from the day before. Safety advocates say with a few critical changes at that intersection that that accident may never have happened.
San Francisco police are still investigating the circumstances of the deadly collision on Tuesday night. The victim, a four-year-old girl who was being pushed in a stroller with her mother and father through the intersection. "

Driver arrested in crash that killed 4-year-old girl in San Francisco A vigil was held Wednesday at the intersection of 4th and King Streets, the scene of a deadly pedestrian crash from the day before. Safety advocates say with a few critical changes at that intersection that that accident may never have happened.