Kids paint curbs and show why ‘daylighting’ matters: we need safer intersections!

What if someone told you that 1 in 3 traffic crashes in San Francisco could be prevented – and the solution mostly involved red paint?

It’s not too good to be true – it’s what’s called ‘daylighting.’ Daylighting prevents parking at certain parts of the intersection to ensure clear sightlines for drivers and pedestrians. Learn more about daylighting. 

There’s now a state daylighting law that makes it illegal for drivers to park within 20 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk at the corners where their vehicle is facing the crosswalk. To make this crucial traffic safety law a reality, the SFMTA is painting daylighting at all intersections citywide starting in school zones.

Walk SF invited the New Traditions Elementary School community to help make their school zone safer and help paint the curbs for daylighting. It was a powerful reminder of why we need every possible solution to make streets safe. 

Check out our video of daylighting at New Traditions – and then share your support with City leaders for daylighting.

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Students from New Traditions Elementary School paint the curbs near their school with District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Chair of the SFCTA. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Students from New Traditions Elementary School pose with Zoe the Zebra. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Students from New Traditions Elementary School paint the curbs near their school with SFMTA Director of Streets Viktoriya Wise. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Photo by Fiona Yim.

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SFMTA crews seal in the students' paint job. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Students celebrate a newly daylit intersection with SFMTA paint crews and Zoe the Zebra. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Students thanked SFMTA paint crews with a signed card. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Photo by Fiona Yim.

Thank you to the New Traditions Elementary School students for painting curbs with so much enthusiasm!

And a big thank you to the SFMTA paint crew for your work yesterday and every day in adding daylighting to intersections to make intersections safer. 

With gratitude to the SFCTA for funding this lifesaving work, and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar (Chair of the SFCTA) for championing safe streets and Vision Zero! 

Do you love safe intersections and want more of them? Learn more about our ‘I Love Safe Intersections’ campaign and support it with a donation today!