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