SAN FRANCISCO – Crossing the street should be a simple task, but for many pedestrians in San Francisco, they have to be on high alert for motorists navigating the city’s streets.
Ronen Reynolds, a regular visitor to the West Portal Public Library, shared his concerns about the challenges pedestrians face, especially at confusing intersections such as Ulloa and Wawona streets.
“It’s kind of bad for pedestrians because it’s a little inconvenient. Because one thing I don’t like is when the lights last 15 seconds for an old person and that’s when something happens,” Reynolds noted.
Reynolds expressed frustration with drivers who ignore stop signs and fail to yield to pedestrians.
“That’s just ridiculous, and that’s the impatience of all of us. That’s just ignorance. It’s like, come on, are you trying to kill someone?” he exclaimed.
In response to growing concerns about pedestrian safety, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) conducted a sting operation against motorists who failed to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks.
Assistant Chief David Lazar said community feedback was important in driving enforcement action.
“The message was loud and clear. Many community members have called and emailed us saying more enforcement is needed,” he stated.
The operation involved six officers on motorcycles and two decoy officers, who kept a close watch on intersections and were ready to take action against violators. Within 90 minutes, the SFPD issued 22 citations and five warnings to drivers who endangered pedestrians by failing to yield the right of way.
“These are all tools to educate the community today, with the media helping us promote a message of road safety,” Assistant Chief Lazar explained.
The sting operation comes on the heels of a tragic crash that killed a family of four at a nearby bus stop. Witnesses reported the driver was speeding in the wrong direction on Ulloa Street, highlighting the urgent need for improved road safety measures.
Ronen Reynolds reiterated the importance of such initiatives to prevent further tragedies.
“There must be something we can do, something off the beaten path, like surveys and things like that, to find out why people see red. And we’ve done it all in different situations, but when driving you have to be careful,” he insisted. .
