PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 16, 2021
CONTACT: Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director, Walk SF, jodie@walksf.org, 415-596-1580 (cell); Marta Lindsey, Communications Director, Walk SF, marta@walksf.org, 617-833-7654 (cell)
Pedestrian hit on April 7 succumbs to their injuries; marks sixth pedestrian death of 2021
San Francisco, Calif. – Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the person who was hit while crossing at Fillmore Street and Golden Gate Avenue on April 7, 2021. We learned from SFPD that the victim succumbed to their injuries yesterday. The victim was identified by SFPD as an 82-year-old person.
“We hold the victim’s loved ones close in our hearts,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk San Francisco. Walk San Francisco and members of the San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets stand ready to support the victims’ families and friends however possible.
“Our streets are not as safe as they should be, especially for our seniors and children,” continued Medeiros. “No one should die simply crossing the street.”
This fatality marks the sixth pedestrian death of 2021. Antonio Durano, a 78-year-old man, was fatally hit at 3rd Street and Folsom Street on April 3, 2021. Edda Cabrera, a 79-year-old woman, was fatally hit at Mission and Geneva on March 2, 2021. Twelve-year-old Jesai Andrews was fatally hit on his skateboard at Ingerson and Redondo Streets on February 10, 2021. Twenty-six-year-old Sheria Musyoka was fatally hit at Lake Merced Boulevard and Higuera Street on February 4, 2021. An 85-year-old man was fatally hit at 24th and San Jose Avenue on January 19, 2021.
“Walking in San Francisco shouldn’t be a life-or-death situation, especially for our children and elders,” said Medeiros. “City leaders need to make traffic safety a priority. And drivers need to respect the fact that aggressive driving has no place on our streets.”
Citywide, around 30 people are killed and nearly 600 severely injured each year on San Francisco streets. Each year, pedestrians make up the largest share of the victims. Seniors typically make up 40-50% of pedestrian fatalities, even though they are only 15% of the population.
The intersection of Fillmore and Golden Gate is a dangerous and busy intersection. Many seniors use this intersection regularly given its location between senior housing and meeting places, plus the 22-Fillmore Muni stop. El Bethel Terrace, home to over 100 seniors, is located directly at this intersection, and housing like Royal Adah Arms and centers like the Western Addition Senior Center are just a block away.
Fillmore is a designated “high-injury” street, the 13% of San Francisco streets where 75% of severe and fatal traffic crashes occur. Golden Gate is a one-way with three lanes of fast-moving traffic. The intersection itself lacks many of the basic pedestrian safety improvements outlined at walksf.org/reportcards including ‘daylighting’ (which gives clear sight lines at intersections) and ‘leading pedestrian intervals’ (which give pedestrians a head-start to cross before drivers get the green).
“Much more must be done to keep all of us safer in the crosswalk,” said Medeiros. “The City’s made progress over the past six years, but many basic safety improvements still aren’t at the most dangerous intersections.”
There are 168 miles of high-injury streets, and as of October 2020, 86 miles (51%) were not yet in any stage of planning or completion of safety improvements.
“As the City looks at how it’s going to get to Vision Zero, it must focus on fixing deadly crosswalks,” said Medeiros. Vision Zero is the City’s commitment to end severe and fatal traffic crashes by 2024. The draft of the City’s 2021-2023 ‘Vision Zero Action Strategy’, the blueprint for what city agencies will do to improve traffic safety, will be released in June.
The “high-injury network”, the 13% of streets where 75% of traffic crashes occur, disproportionately fall in the City’s Communities of Concern: high levels of households with minority or low-income status, seniors, people who have limited English proficiency, people who have disabilities, and more.
In 2014, 13 City agencies committed to Vision Zero: the Mayor’s Office, SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), SF Dept of Public Health, SF Police Department, SF Public Works, SF Planning Department, SF District Attorney, SF County Transportation Authority, SF Department of Environment, SF Fire Department, SF Unified School District, SF International Airport, and SF Recreation & Parks.
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Walk San Francisco (‘Walk SF’) advocates for safe streets for everyone who walks, which is everyone. Since our founding in 1998, Walk SF has been leading the way to make San Francisco a pedestrian-first city where people of every age and ability can walk safely. Learn more.
San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets is made up of survivors and families whose loved ones have been killed or injured in traffic crashes. Learn more.