Two ways you can turn up the heat on city leaders to make our streets safer

We are reeling from these past weeks of one after another traffic death. We have now lost 14 pedestrians and one bicyclist to traffic violence in 2019.

The City needs to do whatever it takes to make us all safe on our streets. None of us should feel so at risk while simply going about our daily lives.

That’s why we’re hoping you can do two things to keep the pressure on city leaders to do more for traffic safety now.

1. Join us at the Tuesday, September 3, 1:00PM meeting of the SFMTA Board of Directors.

On September 3, the SFMTA staff will give a status report on Vision Zero, the City’s commitment to end severe and fatal traffic crashes by 2024, to the SFMTA Board of Directors.

We need to send a clear message at this meeting: the City must double-down on its Vision Zero efforts. Now.

The more voices, the better – so please email brian@walksf.org if you can make it and we’ll send you some talking points.

2. Urge your Supervisor to support the resolution declaring a state of emergency for traffic safety in San Francisco.

We see San Francisco declaring a state of emergency for traffic safety as a necessary step to both acknowledge the crisis on our streets, plus move forward (and fund!) the policies needed for sweeping changes.

Supervisors Matt Haney, Norman Yee, Hillary Ronen, Sandra Lee Fewer, and Vallie Brown are now signed on as cosponsors of a resolution declaring a state of emergency for traffic safety. Thank you to these Supervisors leadership on pedestrian safety! The language in the resolution is clear: the safety of people walking and biking must be prioritized over flow of traffic.

So help us get every Supervisor’s signed onto the resolution as soon as they’re back from the August recess. Look up your Supervisor and send them an email now.

We need to speed this resolution to passage, and then urge Mayor Breed to join the Board of Supervisors in making traffic safety a top priority. (Note: the next stop for the resolution is the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee in early September.)

We can and will win safe streets for all (with your help!)

If any city in the United States can get it right when it comes to streets that put people first, it should be San Francisco.

But it’s going to take all of us demanding a lot more action and accountability from city leaders to make this happen. So please ask your friends and neighbors to make their voice for safe streets heard, too.

And if you’re not yet getting our newsletter, sign up now so you know when we need you to take action next!