PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 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 fatality on April 24 at Geary & Park Presidio marks third pedestrian death in April
San Francisco, Calif. – Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the person who was hit and killed on April 24, 2021 at Geary Boulevard and Park Presidio Boulevard.
“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.
This fatality marks the seventh pedestrian death of 2021, and the third just this month. On April 7, an 82-year-old person was hit at Fillmore Street and Golden Gate Avenue; they succumbed to their injuries on April 15. 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.
“Three pedestrian deaths in as many weeks is heartbreaking and horrific,” said Medeiros. “Walking in San Francisco shouldn’t be a life-or-death situation, yet our streets are often hostile to people walking. Our streets can be designed and enforced to keep all of us safe, especially our kids and seniors” continued Medeiros.
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. More seniors have died walking in 2021 already than in all of 2020.
“We desperately need city leaders to refocus on Vision Zero,” said Medeiros of the City’s commitment to end severe and fatal traffic crashes by 2024. “The threat of unsafe streets is rising, and too many people are paying the price. And drivers need to respect the fact that aggressive driving has no place on our streets,” continued Medeiros.
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. Walk San Francisco and groups from across the city are urging a more aggressive approach (see walksf.org/VisionZeroActionStrategy).
The intersection of Geary Boulevard and Park Presidio Boulevard is one of the most dangerous intersections in District 1 in terms of traffic crashes (learn more at walksf.org/reportcards). There were four crashes with injuries at this intersection in just the past year. It’s a daunting intersection for pedestrians; Park Presidio is six lanes across and Geary Boulevard is seven lanes across. Geary is a designated “high-injury” street that has had some safety improvements, but more comprehensive ones are on hold pending funding.
The “high-injury network” is the 13% of streets where 75% of traffic crashes occur. There are 168 miles of high-injury streets in San Francisco, and as of October 2020, 86 miles (51%) were not yet in any stage of planning or completion of safety improvements.
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 Dept 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.