San Francisco is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to pedestrian safety: A man was killed in the second fatal crash in three days early Friday morning.
Safety advocates say the city has surpassed last year’s number of traffic-related pedestrian deaths so far this year.
Investigators said it was a Friday accident happened around 6:45 a.m. at the T-intersection of Geary Blvd. and Broderick St. Neighbors said it was still dark and the morning commute was just getting underway.
“It’s really unfortunate,” said Beverly Lue, who works at a nearby medical facility.
Lue said it was nerve-wracking for her and fellow nurses to hear of a pedestrian’s death as they started their shift.
“We heard from our director that it was a homeless person trying to cross this barrier,” Lue said.
The metal gate at the center divider of Geary Blvd. is intended to discourage people from crossing the wide street and encourage them to use the crosswalk a block away.
This part of Geary is on the high-injury network, where 12% of streets are responsible for 68% of serious and fatal accidents in the city.
“The reason there is a fence is to prevent them from crossing that way. But people still take the risk and cross,” said Lorena Ruiz, who also works in the area.
Authorities said an SUV traveling east on Geary toward downtown San Francisco struck and killed a man about 35 years old. Police said the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. They said drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor.
“On Geary, I’m very careful because you hear cars going very, very fast,” said nearby medical worker Jennifer Horta.
The police said this on Tuesday morning a truck driver killed a 70-year-old man walking at the intersection of Stanyan St. and Parnassus Ave. in the Cole Valley neighborhood. Police said the driver remained at the scene and drugs and alcohol also did not appear to be a factor.
Walk SF, which advocates for safe streets, said there have been more traffic-related pedestrian deaths in San Francisco so far this year than last year.
Walk SF reported that 21 people died while walking in 2024, compared to 18 pedestrian deaths in 2023. Walk SF wants the city to lower speed limits and reduce the number of lanes on faster streets to calm traffic.
“People need to be careful, look at the speed limit where you’re going and slow down. There’s no rush,” Ruiz said.
Lue agreed and said she is always alert.
“The two of us usually walk, even if it’s daylight. I never have anything on hand, I don’t have my phone on hand,” Lue said.
The police are still investigating the two fatal accidents. It was unclear whether the drivers in the two cases will face charges.
