San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener recently introduced a package of legislation intended to address challenges with pedestrian safety. Last year in San Francisco, 964 people were hit by vehicles, and 19 were killed, according to a pedestrian advocacy group’s review of Police Department data.
Unfortunately, pedestrian safety projects are still lagging behind the growing need. It’s high time that something productive be accomplished to help protect San Francisco pedestrians. This is a walking City and masses of tourists strolling all over town increase the exposure of pedestrians to motor vehicles here in our City by the Bay.
Apparently, Wiener’s legislation would create a Street Design Review Committee. Some of the San Francisco streets will need to be redesigned. Of course, many people will need to be involved in this project, including those from the Mayor’s Office, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Department of Public Works.
A more pedestrian friendly city is one of my key goals as a pedestrian safety advocate. It is my goal too as a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Attorney. I know it seems kind of funny for a personal injury attorney to hope to reduce business. However, I am more interested in keeping our pedestrians safe and reducing pedestrian injuries and deaths. Only if we make those who harm pedestrians accountable will we be able to change motorist behavior and ultimately reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths. And of course, an infrastructure which is safer for pedestrians should reduce pedestrian exposure to bad driving and thereby help to reduce injuries.
Elizabeth Stampe, executive director of Walk SF, a pedestrian advocacy group says,
The most important elements for pedestrian safety, like wider sidewalks, bulb outs, extension of corners, are often the first to go
because often they are expensive and they may be perceived as being complicated when it comes to water pipes, sewer pipes, fire connections, and
there’s nobody there to speak up for the overall goal, which is fewer people getting run over.
I look forward to a thorough in-depth analysis and a well thought out plan to reduce pedestrian accidents and injuries. Can this City of San Francisco actually accomplish this goal and work together? We shall see.
Fortunately, the legislation package was approved Monday, July 1st by the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Economic Development Committee and is expected to be approved by the full board soon. I will keep my fingers crossed.
