Alarmed by the recent string of pedestrian deaths in San Francisco — five in five weeks — local dad Harrison Anderson embarked on a 50-mile trek around the city Saturday to bring attention to the need for safer streets, while raising funds for advocacy group Walk SF.

Feeling powerless and fed up by the number of pedestrians killed in San Francisco in recent weeks, local father Harrison Anderson pledged to walk 50 miles around the city Saturday while raising funds for Walk SF, as KPIX reports. Anderson quickly surpassed his goal of $5,000 while also completing the custom route he created, dubbed “The Hourglass.”

According to a press release from Walk SF, Anderson and his four-year-old son primarily navigate the city on foot, and the tragic killing of a two-year-old girl in a Mission Bay intersection two weeks ago struck a nerve.

"I just couldn't stop thinking about how easily that could have been my son and I," said Anderson, per KPIX. "We're always paying attention. We're always being careful when we're out walking. But I don't have enough fingers to count the number of times cars come flying around the corner, or run through a red light."

Per Walk SF, Anderson began his hike Saturday atop the steps at Ina Coolbrith Park in Russian Hill, he then headed north to Fisherman’s Wharf, south along the Embarcadero, then curved all around the city, with scheduled stops at City College and Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. Anderson documented the day on Instagram along the way — while wearing his trademark hot pink leggings.

“I walked the new 38-mile Roundabout trail in 12 hours one day in January and I was surprised how many people were interested in hearing about my experience,” said Anderson, per WalkSF. “I thought that if I pushed myself to attempt an even more extreme length, it could help bring attention to the good work Walk SF is doing.”

When creating his route, Anderson was sure to include all of the city, especially the most under-served neighborhoods, which are impacted the most by flawed infrastructure, per Walk SF.

“The poorest neighborhoods are usually the ones with the worst infrastructure for pedestrians, even though they’re also the places I see the most people outside walking,” said Anderson.

As KGO reports, Anderson had walked about 20 miles by noon Saturday. He said he aimed to finish before midnight — when his step counter was due to reset.

Jodie Medeiros, executive director of WalkSF, told KPIX pedestrians shouldn’t have to pay the price with their lives for mistakes made on the road.

“This is a solution that's definitely solvable," she said. "You make sure that the tools are there so that people cannot drive dangerously. People are bound to make a mistake. Whether it be the person that's walking, biking, or the driver.”

“But how do you make sure that the system works so that if one piece of the system fails, the other one catches it?"  Medeiros said.

Anderson said he hopes things will be different once his son has his own kids.

“I love San Francisco and a big part of why my family lives here is because of its walkability,” Anderson told Walk SF. “My hope is that someday, when my son walks these streets with kids of his own, he won’t feel the same worries that I do.”

Image: Harrison Anderson

Related: Bystanders Describe Horrific Scene Where Toddler Was Killed In Mission Bay Intersection

Now that a BART strike is "imminent" Monday morning, here are your alternate routes around the Bay Area:

AC Transit: AC will be running on a regular schedule, but you can find route details here and here. Note: "AC Transit will not enter BART property in the event of a BART strike."

Carpool: 511.org has details on forming a carpool or trying casual carpooling,

Caltrain: Take the train. You can even bring your bike.

Charter Bus Service: According to BART, "We’ve secured 58 buses which have the capabilities to only serve between 2,000 to 4,000 passengers in each direction, depending upon traffic. The service will provide free but very limited commute direction weekday round trip charter bus service at the following four stations: El Cerrito del Norte, Walnut Creek, Dublin/ Pleasanton, and Fremont. The buses will operate 5am-9am and then 3pm-7pm. ... Boarding for afternoon return trips to the East Bay will begin at 3:00pm on Howard Street between Fremont Street and Beale Street. To guarantee yourself a bus ride home, you must be at the bus loading area no later than 7:00pm."

Cycling: SF Bike Coalition has the best routes for getting to and from work.

Ferries: Take a ride on the Bay via one of our fine ferries.

Golden Gate Transit: You can bring bikes on all ferries and 40-foot long buses, provided there's room.

Park & Ride: take advantage of free parking at any BART station or Park & Ride lot to meet your carpool, adjust your work hours.

Telecommute: Just like bloggers. Live the dream.

Also, here's a helpful map of Caltrans, VTA, Muni, Ferries, and more.

Previously: BART Strike Very, Very Possible Monday Morning

Starting tonight, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will host a series of public meetings, where your can voice your input on the proposed improvements to bicycle routes in San Francisco. (Map of said routes after the jump.) The SFMTA's Bicycle Program, you see, plans around "60 proposed bicycle improvement projects that would add approximately 34 miles of bike lanes to the bike route network," which would about double San Francisco's bicycle lane mileage. Nice.

There will be four meeting, focusing on four different parts of the city. We expect thjose of you who bitch about riding in the City--and there are many of you--to show up. They are as follows:

Central Neighborhoods
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
SOMA Recreation Center Auditorium
270 - 6th Street (at Folsom Street)

Southeastern Neighborhoods
Thursday, May 22, 2008
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Bayview Anna E. Warden Branch Library
5075 3rd Street (at Revere Avenue)