Much has already been written about the cuts to pedestrian related projects in the new Federal Transportation Bill. Fortunately, there are still people out there actively campaigning for pedestrian safety and better streets, not just for vehicles, but for everyone. As part of our ongoing partnership with Walk SF, we’ve developed the following graphic that […]
An incident last week in which a man using a crosswalk was hospitalized after being hit by a shuttle bus only served to exacerbate feelings that when it comes to pedestrians getting hit, police are reluctant to take action against drivers…even when the driver is clearly at fault. Video footage of the collision shows that […]
We’ve written a lot on this blog about the tragic result of San Francisco bus accidents. In the past, fatal Muni bus accidents have cost the city millions in lawsuit settlements, and most importantly, have claimed the lives of far too many San Francisco residents. Over the weekend, new city dweller Emily Dunn was struck and killed by a Muni bus in the city’s Castro District. The police report indicated that Dunn was struck 95% into the crosswalk by a Muni Bus making a left turn, an action that is commonly cited as unsafe.
Here in the Bay Area, we’re lucky to live in or near cities that are well known for their walkability. The website WalkScore, for example, recently ranked the country’s most walkable cities, and listed San Francisco in second place, and Oakland in tenth. While this is certainly cause for celebration, it might not take safety into account, considering that it has been an awful year for San Francisco pedestrian safety, and that more than 550 pedestrians are killed each year in California alone. A new account by local blog Oakland North explains one reason why the East Bay city doesn’t live up to the walk hype: dangerous crosswalk signals.
The thought of being killed as a pedestrian in San Francisco is terrifying. Fatal pedestrian accidents happen far too often in the Bay Area, especially considering that San Francisco was recently ranked the second most walkable city by the website Walk Score. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to guarantee pedestrian safety in a busy city like San Francisco. Organizations like WalkSF have been incredible about raising awareness about pedestrian safety programs and lobbying the city to make serious improvements. But fatal accidents remain too common far in San Francisco, which has already mourned 9 pedestrians this year.
There’s no question about it: when it comes to reducing car accidents, pedestrian accidents, or bicycle accidents, states and local governments have been proposing the most interesting plans to save lives and prevent injuries. But so far, when the federal government gets involved, safety measures that often look like “no-brainers” on the local level get muddled by political ideology and Washington groupthink. This has already been the case for a federal distracted driving law and a federal teen drivers license law currently languishing in Congress. The next safety policy to be doomed by Washington policy is the Safe Routes to School program.
Jogging across San Francisco’s busy Masonic Avenue Monday, a pedestrian was blindsided by driver going 30 miles per hour, sending the jogger flying through the air and later to the hospital with a severely broken leg. SFWeekly correspondent Matt Smith writes that he and his daughter also would have been hit if they had passed the intersection on their tandem bicycle two seconds earlier. The terrifying collision shows that pedestrian accidents are far too common here in San Francisco and that the city must implement a plan to increase street safety and reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
As pedestrians in San Francisco and throughout the country become more active, some increase in pedestrian accidents is inevitable. Especially when it comes to senior citizens, children, and people in poor neighborhoods, pedestrian accidents remain a major problem. And based on preliminary data from the Governors Highway Safety Association, California reported the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in 2010. With this in mind, the SFMTA has charged a Pedestrian Safety Task Force with developing a plan to tackle San Francisco’s pedestrian safety problems head on.
At a meeting in San Francisco late last week, the city’s pedestrian advocacy organization WalkSF met with members of the Board of Supervisors to brainstorm methods to best reduce bicycle accidents. 800 people are hit in pedestrian accidents each year on San Francisco streets, a number the organization hopes to reduce. Although the city released a pedestrian safety study last month, it has widely been criticized for failing to include an action plan detailing how to achieve significant and lasting results. Last week’s meeting appears to be a first step toward locating such an action plan.
Pedestrians beware, as we head into the holiday months, generally considered the most dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists due to increased traffic, worsening road conditions, and dimmed visibility. Thanks to daylight savings and the holiday rush to acquire presents, it’s no surprise that the final three months account for about 40% of the year’s total pedestrian accidents. But even before the statistics for November and December roll in, Oregon has noticed a significant increase in pedestrian accidents this year.
