After Lower Nob Hill resident Chandini Davis was almost swatted by an oncoming car (that failed to yield for her) earlier in the week, she's now keen on making her neighborhood crosswalks safer for pedestrians.
San Francisco’s walkways are notoriously quite dangerous. Just this year alone, over 14 people have lost their lives trying to cross the street, according to the city’s Vision Zero Network, an increase from 2018’s fatality count. So, when Davis and her dog almost became another statistic, she was adamant about cementing a change for the better (and safer).
"[The car was] inches from hitting me, and he was going quite fast, and when I informed him that he was about to hit me he had some choice words for me," said Davis to ABC 7 about the incident, having previously shared her experience on the community-centered NextDoor App. "[I’m hoping] to get more enforcement and eventually get a no turn on red sign on here [...] cars are not yielding on red.”
During ABC 7’s on-site reporting earlier in the week, reporter Luz Pena noted that at least five cars, making either left or right turns, nearly collided with pedestrians on the crosswalks of Hyde and Pine Street.
It seems Davis isn’t alone in wanting this change, too. Neighbors of hers have expressed support of her “No Turn On Red” petition, having already made its way to Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s inbox; Paskin noted to ABC 7 that he, in fact, did receive her email and is considering the request, which could lead to other SF neighborhoods receiving like signage.
Similar initiatives – some once believed “unrealistic” to ensure pedestrian safety – have recently come to fruition, like the now-approved “Better Market Street” plan, which will soon make a large stretch of latter mentioned city street car-free.
Related: A Decade On, 'Better Market Street' Plan Gets Final Approval, Vehicle Ban Made Permanent
Image: Screenshot taken of Vision Zero's High Injury: 2017 Map