PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 5, 2025

CONTACT: Marta Lindsey, Communications Director, Walk San Francisco, (617) 833-7654 (cell), marta@walksf.org

Advocates rally for the ‘Street Safety Act’ at City Hall on Monday to demand City leaders make traffic safety a priority

Street Safety Act recommits City to Vision Zero, plus brings suite of actions and accountability to City agencies

Board of Supervisors will vote on Street Safety Act next Tuesday

WHEN: Monday, September 8, 12:30 – 1:00PM

WHERE: On the front steps of San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, CA 94102

WHAT: District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Walk San Francisco (Walk SF), San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets, Senior & Disability Action, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Streets For All San Francisco, Chinatown TRIP, San Francisco Transit Riders, and residents will rally in support of the ‘Street Safety Act’ in front of City Hall. 

Advocates will then provide public comment at the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Commission hearing at 1:30PM, the first and only hearing for the Street Safety Act.

• 12:30 – 1:00PM: Rally and speaking program on the steps of City Hall.
• 1:30PM: ‘Street Safety Act’ hearing at the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the Board of Supervisors. This will be the only hearing for the ‘Street Safety Act.’

CONFIRMED TO SPEAK:

• Myrna Melgar, District 7 Supervisor and Chair of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority

• Nancy Harrison, crash survivor and member of San Francisco Families for Safe Streets, a victim group for people directly affected by a traffic crash
• Marta Lindsey, communications director of Walk San Francisco 
• Christopher White, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
• Robin Pam, executive director of Streets For All San Francisco
• Dylan Fabris, community and policy manager of San Francisco Transit Riders

VISUALS:

• A large group of people holding what look like authentic traffic safety and street signs but with messages in support of the Street Safety Act.

BACKGROUND: 

24 people were killed while walking in San Francisco in 2024, the highest number since 2007. A total of 42 people were killed in traffic crashes in San Francisco in 2024, the highest number in a decade.

San Francisco currently has no policy or plan for traffic safety. San Francisco’s Vision Zero commitment – a data-driven, preventative, and interagency approach to end severe and fatal traffic crashes – expired last year. San Francisco’s last interagency action plan for traffic safety is from 2021. 

Last month, District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar introduced the ‘Street Safety Act’ at the Board of Supervisors to bring action and accountability to traffic safety. Link to complete language in the Street Safety Act.

Supervisor Melgar’s resolution reaffirms San Francisco’s expired Vision Zero commitment to end severe and fatal traffic crashes – and has a suite of targeted actions for key agencies to design and enforce streets for safety.

The Street Safety Act includes:

• Planning for and completing a suite of ‘Quick Build’ safety treatments on forthcoming newly identified high-injury and high-risk streets 
• Adding ‘Complete Streets’ infrastructure improvements (like pedestrian bulb-outs, turn calming, hardened daylighting, and pedestrian safety islands) anytime a high-injury or arterial street is repaved or updated in other ways 
• Replacing the Residential Traffic Calming Program with a proactive approach for adding speed humps and cushions across neighborhoods with data-driven, pre-approved design standards so these can be installed quickly
• Planning for bringing ‘hardened daylighting’ to the high-injury network (once all intersections citywide are painted), plus establishing a process for community groups or residents to enhance daylit corners 
• Establishing a public dashboard updated quarterly with outcomes-based metrics to assess progress toward ending severe and fatal crashes, plus more regular updates of the high-injury network and crash data analysis
• Increasing and focusing SFPD traffic enforcement on the driving behavior most likely to result in a traffic crash, plus conducting monthly strategic enforcement operations on speeding to complement the locations and effectiveness of the speed camera program
• Prioritizing the use of automated enforcement including speed cameras and red light cameras, including pursuing more legal authority to expand the use of speed cameras
• Establishing faster review by the SFFD of street safety projects, plus streamlining approvals for specific street design and traffic calming tools on different street types to speed installation 

If passed, the Street Safety Act will be voted on by the full Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, September 16.

# # #

Walk San Francisco (‘Walk SF’) advocates for safe streets for everyone who walks. 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.