PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2024
CONTACT: Marta Lindsey, Communications Director, Walk SF, marta@walksf.org, 617.833.7654
Two pedestrians hit and killed in separate crashes on Lombard Street
Bill on Governor Newsom’s desk would require this deadly Caltrans-operated street be made safer
San Francisco, Calif. – Walk SF has learned from the San Francisco Police Department that two people have been hit and killed walking on Lombard Street in the last two weeks.
The first was a 70-year-old woman who was hit by a driver on September 12, 2024 at the intersection of Lombard and Laguna Streets, and later succumbed to her injuries. The second was a 52-year-old man who was hit and killed at the intersection of Lombard and Gough Streets on September 21, 2024.
Five pedestrians have now been killed on Lombard Street in the past decade.
“We are devastated to learn of two precious lives lost, on the very same street, just nine days apart. Our hearts go out to the victims and their loved ones,” said Marta Lindsey, communications director of Walk San Francisco.
Walk San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets community are here to support the friends and loved ones of the victims however possible.
“These tragedies were on a street that’s overseen by Caltrans that is designed to be dangerous,” said Lindsey. “We are calling on Governor Newsom to sign Senate Bill 960 right now to hold Caltrans to a higher standard in designing streets for safety.”
Lombard Street is one of many surface streets in San Francisco owned and managed by Caltrans, the state’s transportation department. Park Presidio, Lombard Street, 19th Avenue, Skyline Boulevard, Van Ness Avenue, Sloat Boulevard, and San Jose Avenue are overseen by Caltrans. These streets are all on the “high-injury network”: the 12% of streets where 68% of traffic crashes occur.
California Senate Bill 960 (Senator Scott Wiener), which is on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk and must be signed by September 30, would hold Caltrans responsible for designing surface roads to protect the most vulnerable street users: people walking, biking,and taking transit.
Three other pedestrians have been killed on Lombard in the past ten years. The first happened at Lombard and Van Ness Avenue in 2014, the second at Lombard and Steiner Street in 2022, and the third just last year at Lombard and Divisadero Street.
“Five pedestrians have now died in ten years on Lombard,” said Lindsey. “Caltrans is 100% failing to keep people safe on Lombard Street and other San Francisco streets under their control. Governor Newsom must sign SB 960 to force Caltrans to change. Lives are on the line every day.”
17 people were killed while walking in San Francisco in 2023. Pedestrians accounted for 65% of all traffic-related fatalities in 2023. Nationally, pedestrian deaths are at a 40-year historic high.
The first pedestrian death in 2024 was a 63-year-old man on January 31st at Fulton and Arguello. The second was a 31-year-old man, David Bridges Jr., who was hit and killed at 6th and Bryant Street on February 8, 2024 by a hit-and-run driver. The third was a 76-year-old man who was hit crossing at Alemany Boulevard at Rousseau Street in the Excelsior neighborhood on February 25, 2024. The fourth was Michael Lukehart, a 41-year-old man who was fatally hit by a driver on March 2, 2024 at the intersection of Golden Gate Avenue and Hyde Street.
The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth deaths were those of Diego Cardoso de Oliveira (40); Matilde Moncado Ramos Pinto (38); Joaquim Ramos Pinto de Oliveira (2); and Cauê Ramos Pinto de Oliveira (3 months), who were hit while waiting at a West Portal bus stop on March 16, 2024.
The ninth death was a man who was hit while crossing Ellis Street near Jones Street on May 23, 2024. The tenth was 41-year-old Miguel Angel Barrera-Cruz, who was killed by a driver at Mission Street and Cortland Avenue in the Mission District. The eleventh was 37-year-old Eric Marshall Quantrell, who was hit by a driver while walking at Van Ness Avenue and Broadway on June 15, 2024. The twelfth was a 43-year-old woman, Amanda Seifert, who was fatally hit at the intersection of Toland Street and Jerrold on June 17, 2024. The thirteenth was a 29-year-old man who was hit by a driver on Harrison Street between 5th and 6th Street, and succumbed to their injuries on July 5, 2024. The fourteenth was a man who was hit on Geneva Avenue near Cayuga on July 11, 2024. The fifteen was a 61-year-old woman who was fatally hit while crossing at the intersection of Diamond Street and Bosworth Street on August 15, 2024.
Walk SF just learned that a man who was hit by a driver on May 6, 2024 at the intersection of Geneva Avenue and Edinburgh Street succumbed to their injuries on September 21, 2024.
There have now been eighteen pedestrian deaths in San Francisco so far in 2024.
Lombard Street is a very wide, six-lane arterial with a 30 mile-per-hour speed limit, with commuter traffic to-and-from the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Lombard Street cuts right through the heart of the Marina neighborhood, with thousands and thousands of people walking on it and crossing it each day,” said Lindsey. “Yet it is designed to prioritize fast-moving traffic, despite the deadly risk to everyone on it.”
The intersection of Lombard Street and Laguna Street is just a few blocks away from Moscone Middle School, Moscone Park, and the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. It is also adjacent to the Chestnut Street, Union Street, and Fillmore Street commercial corridors. The intersection of Lombard Street and Gough Street is just two blocks away and is near Galileo High School.
Speed is the #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco. The faster a driver is going, the more likely a crash is to occur – and the more serious the consequences.
Pedestrians are highly vulnerable as the speed of a vehicle rises above 25 MPH if the pedestrian is hit. 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.
Vehicles are growing larger and heavier, which increases the odds of death for pedestrians. Vehicles are also increasingly able to accelerate to high speeds in mere seconds, making for a deadly combination.
Walk SF is cosponsoring Senate Bill 961, which is also on Governor Newsom’s desk and must be signed by September 30. SB 961 would require all cars and trucks manufactured or sold in California starting in 2030 (except emergency vehicles and motorcycles) to have ‘Intelligent Speed Assistance’ technology. An audio and visual warning would be given to the driver when the vehicle is being operated in excess of 10 MPH over the speed limit. All new vehicles in Europe are now required to have Intelligent Speed Assistance as of summer 2024. Learn more about SB 961.
Walk SF is supporting Senate Bill 960. For decades, California’s Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has underfunded and neglected pedestrian facilities in favor of disruptive highway expansions and high-speed surface roads.
SB 960 would hold our state transportation department, Caltrans, accountable for designing its surface roads to be ‘Complete Streets’ for the most vulnerable users: people walking, biking, and taking transit. ‘Complete Streets’ elements include accessibility features, better sidewalks and crosswalks, street trees, and lighting.
San Francisco is on track for notably higher pedestrian deaths in 2024 than 2023.
Citywide, around 30 people are killed and more than 500 severely injured each year on San Francisco streets. The majority are pedestrians.
San Francisco is currently planning for its second decade of ‘Vision Zero,’ a proactive approach to end severe and fatal traffic crashes that’s been proven successful in many places around the world. Walk SF is working with organizations across the city to push for a more aggressive and comprehensive approach to Vision Zero. Learn more about our vision for the future of Vision Zero.
# # #
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 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.