PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 7, 2024
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)
Advocates to hang memorial signs at all 317 of San Francisco’s fatal traffic crash sites since 2014
Also painting 317 pairs of shoes for a memorial for crash victims
WHEN: Friday, November 8, 2024 12:00PM – 2:00PM.
WHERE: Outside Walk San Francisco’s office at 2601 Mission Street and at fatal crash locations nearby.
WHAT: Walk SF staff including executive director Jodie Medeiros, volunteers, and members Families for Safe Streets (a victim group) will:
1. Hang memorial signs at 317 fatal traffic crash locations in San Francisco since 2014, when the City adopted Vision Zero.
These signs are to honor victims and show the scale of these tragedies on our streets and need for change.
These memorial signs are being installed leading up to San Francisco’s tenth annual World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims on Sunday, November 17 at 5:00PM at City Hall.
On Friday, we will hang signs at:
- 4 fatal crash sites at South Van Ness and 16th
- 1 fatal crash site at South Van Ness and 19th
- 1 fatal crash site at South Van Ness and 18th: Thomas McKean, July 9, 2023, pedestrian. NOTE: A loved one of this victim will be attending and posting the sign.
- 1 fatal crash site 16th and Folsom
- 1 fatal crash site at 16th and Harrison
2. Paint 317 pairs of shoes white to use as part of a temporary memorial for traffic victims at City Hall.
In the parking lot of Walk SF’s office in the Mission, volunteers in paint clothes and work together to paint 317 pairs of donated shoes, including shoes for the babies, toddlers, and children killed in traffic crashes: Sion Kim (4 years old), hit and killed at 4th and King Streets on August 15, 2023; Sofia Liu (6 years old), hit and killed at Polk and Ellis on December 31, 2013; Mi’Yana Gregory (2 years old), hit and killed at 4th and Mission on August 15, 2015; and Cauê Ramos Pinto de Oliviera (3 months old) Joaquin Ramos Pinto de Oliviera (2 years old), hit and killed in West Portal on March 16, 2024.
These ‘ghost shoes’ will represent each of the lives lost in traffic crashes in San Francisco since 2014 at San Francisco’s tenth annual World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims on Sunday, November 17 at 5:00PM at City Hall.
VISUALS:
- Memorial signs being hung at fatal traffic crash locations.
- Volunteers painting 317 pairs of ‘ghost shoes’ with white paint and brushes.
BACKGROUND:
In San Francisco, around 30 people are killed in traffic crashes each year, and more than 500 severely injured.
Each year, pedestrians make up the greatest share of fatalities and continue to be the most vulnerable on our streets. As of November 7, 2024, 32 people have died in traffic crashes this year and 21 were pedestrians.
317 people have been killed in traffic crashes since January 2014 and around 5,000 severely injured. In 2014, the City of San Francisco adopted Vision Zero. Vision Zero is a data-driven, preventative, and intersectional approach and commitment to end severe and fatal traffic crashes.
While the City has made important progress in redesigning streets to improve safety, severe and fatal crash numbers have yet to go down.
The past decade has also brought additional and significant challenges: increased traffic from delivery trucks and rideshare services; larger, heavier, and more powerful vehicles; and a rise in dangerous driving behaviors.
Walk SF believes that the City’s approach to Vision Zero is not yet being applied at the scale, pace, and boldness needed to succeed.
The #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco is speeding. Speed increases the likelihood and severity of a crash. Pedestrians are highly vulnerable as speed rises above 25 MPH. The most frequently cited study on speed and risk of fatality shows that at 25 MPH and under, a person has a less than 1 in 4 chance of being severely injured or killed if they are hit. But by 40 MPH, this flips, with 75% of pedestrians suffering life-threatening injuries or dying. As vehicles become larger, heavier, and more powerful, this adds additional risk for pedestrians.
San Francisco will get its first-ever speed safety cameras in February 2024, with 33 cameras. This will save lives and support meaningful progress for Vision Zero. But the City must take additional actions at the same time to address driver behavior at a much broader scale.
Nationally, pedestrian deaths are at their highest numbers since 1981 and with 20 pedestrians dying every day on average.
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Walk San Francisco (‘Walk SF’) advocates on behalf of all pedestrians in San Francisco, pushing for solutions so our streets are safe for every age and ability. Learn more.
San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets is a group of people who have been directly affected by traffic crashes, including crash survivors and people whose loved ones have been killed or injured in traffic crashes. Learn more.