By Audrey Liu
At around 5:18 a.m. on Jan. 31, before twilight or sunrise had struck, a driver set off and headed westbound on Fulton Street. Driving down the hill just before the road's intersection with Arguello, they proceeded through on a green light. However, an elderly man was still walking across the street. We lost another neighbor to traffic violence in the crash that ensued.
One can hypothesize a myriad of factors that lead to the crash. It was dark out, therefore visibility was reduced. The driver could have been tired. Maybe the victim began crossing the intersection too late. But this isn't the first traffic crash on Fulton. According to San Francisco city data, in the past year two people have died and almost 50 people were injured on Fulton. Arguello Boulevard, too, is notably a part of SFMTA's high-injury network, the 12% of city streets responsible for almost 70% of severe and fatal injuries. While every collision has unique circumstances, the overarching pattern is clear and consistent: Fulton and Arguello are undeniably dangerous streets.
Traffic crashes have been coupled with automobiles since their inception. If one were to look at the map of traffic injuries and deaths from 1927, before robust traffic rules and regulation, and compare it with today's SFMTA map, there are striking similarities. Crashes occur overwhelmingly on main thoroughfares, where cars can drive fast and are near dense population centers like merchant corridors, neighborhoods or parks.
A compelling theory that connects many of our City's crashes is that vehicle speeds (and weight) increase the deadliness of a crash, and pedestrian density increases the likelihood. The history of traffic engineering has designed our city streets to move cars fast even in the most populated areas.
Looking through this lens, it is no coincidence that Fulton has such a shameful record. In recent years, SFMTA proposed, and partially completed, the "Fulton Street Safety and Transit Project" to address some of these concerns. Daylighting and painted safety zones have improved the visibility of pedestrians in some locations, but the project does not go far enough to address the underlying problem. Cars are allowed to drive at 30 mph, faster compared to a much wider thoroughfare like Geary Boulevard. Critically, a pedestrian collision at that speed could also mean around a 20% chance of death. Fulton is next to a daycare, senior center, coffee shop, residential units and Golden Gate Park. Plenty of people congregate around and travel along Fulton every day, yet there are substandard crosswalks with no signal or pedestrian cycle. The walk timer at Arguello is 50% shorter compared to Sixth, Eighth and 10th avenues. Ultimately, street design and regulation exacerbate these crashes.
Short-term solutions to Fulton's traffic crashes involve extending walk signal times and installing speed cameras. Long-term solutions could include a dedicated bus lane to increase transit ridership, pedestrian bulb outs, and reduced speed limits from 30 mph to 25 or even 20.
There are exceedingly few municipalities in the world that have achieved Vision Zero, the goal of zero traffic deaths and no serious injuries. While this partly speaks to the scale of the problem – undoing decades of "auto mania" that widened streets, removed streetcars and expanded parking since the 1950s – it also indicates the political challenges involved. Still, there are lessons our City and neighborhood can learn from the few that accomplished this milestone.
Oslo achieved Vision Zero in 2019 by reimagining their streets to be more people focused and public transportation oriented. Parking was removed in favor of miniature parks and pedestrianized spaces. Dangerous arterial roads were redesigned to prioritize biking and buses. And traffic was calmed to much safer speeds. Co-benefits also included significantly reduced transportation emissions and a more connected and vibrant city.
Anxieties and concerns bubble up when road space or parking is reduced in favor of safer pedestrian or active transportation infrastructure. The Richmond is no exception. It is tempting to say that this dichotomy doesn't exist. But it is not a coincidence that America leads OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries in traffic deaths and drives the most per capita than anywhere else in the world. Solving traffic crashes will require us to reflect upon our beliefs around transportation and question if the ubiquity of driving is worth the toll on our community.
There is no doubt that the driver who crashed into our neighbor would do anything to avoid this tragedy given the chance to do so. Collectively we have prioritized the movement of vehicles over the safety and livability of our City. What is left for us is to decide whether we want these tragedies to continue. I urge our neighborhood to take a step toward a safer Richmond. Please consider emailing our representatives for a safer Fulton.
Audrey Liu a D1 resident and a local transportation advocate, and member of San Francisco Transit Riders Union, Walk SF and Bike SF.
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