In San Francisco, city leaders said Friday they are moving forward with a plan to improve traffic safety in the West Portal neighborhood.
The street changes are intended to slow traffic after a fatal crash last spring that killed a family of four.
The tragic crash occurred on March 16 while the family was on their way to the San Francisco Zoo, waiting at a West Portal bus stop at Ulloa Street and Lennox Way.
An SUV driven by Mary Fong Lau, who was 78 at the time of the crash, was traveling east on Ulloa around 12:13 p.m. when the vehicle crashed into the bus stop.
Diego Cardoso de Oliveira and his 2-year-old son Joaquin died at the scene. The mother, Matilde Ramos Pinto, and the child Caue Ramos Pinto de Oliveira were hospitalized. The mother died the next day from her injuries the baby succumbed on March 20.
SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced in early July that Lau would face four charges of vehicular manslaughter.
While the horrific accident left the neighborhood in shock, the plan to reduce traffic in the area does faced opposition from traders concerned about the impact on their businesses.
The original plan proposed a number of changes to the intersections of West Portal Avenue, Ulloa Street, Lenox Way and Claremont Boulevard, including the removal of up to eight parking spaces, some left turn restrictions and a restriction at the intersection of Ulloa Street and West Portal Avenue which required private vehicles traveling east on Ulloa to enter West Portal.
Mayor London Breed thanked the local community on Friday for providing feedback.
“The city may not always get it right. And it’s because of people who are willing to participate and give feedback and push us more and more that we get to the moment we are at,” Breed said.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle cited eyewitness testimony in court filings showing that Lau told witnesses she had accidentally changed the throttle and broken the pedals just before the fatal crash.
She entered a not guilty plea to the indictment in July.
