On November 17, 2022, a 16-year old on a bicycle was struck by a driver in a car on Arguello and California and, at the time of this writing, remains in critical condition. In 2022, 37 people died on San Francisco streets due to traffic violence, with only two more years to reach our Vision Zero goals (zero traffic fatalities and injuries). The City and County of San Francisco adopted Vision Zero as a policy in 2014, committing to build better and safer streets, educate the public on traffic safety, enforce traffic laws, and adopt policy changes that save lives. After nine years, Vision Zero SF still seems like an impossible dream.

Arguello Boulevard is a highly trafficked street for bicyclists. The SFMTA automated counter data from July 2018 to December 2022 indicates approximately 150 to 200 bicyclists use Arguello Boulevard daily, with a high of 211 in May 2020, when John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park became car-free through an emergency order.

The San Francisco Vision Zero Core Principles states: “human error is inevitable and unpredictable; we should design the transportation system to anticipate error so the consequence is not severe injury or death. Transportation and land use development policies, standards, programs, and design decisions should prioritize preserving lives.” We know that motor vehicles are the top source of death for people ages 3 to 25 statewide, and we know that all of these fatalities can be prevented through safe infrastructure.  

Data from TransBASE (an analytical tool developed to support pedestrian safety initiatives) indicates that 79 collisions have occurred between 2017 and the present on Arguello Boulevard, with 54.4% involving bicyclists and/or pedestrians. Furthermore, TransBASE data indicates 484 collisions have occurred between 2017 and the present on California Street, with 33.8% involving bicyclists and/or pedestrians. TransBASE data indicates 18 fatal traffic collisions have occurred between 2017 and the present in Supervisor Districts 1 and 2, with 13 of these collisions killing bicyclists and/or pedestrians.

We demand that our elected officials and government agencies prioritize bicyclist and pedestrian safety on Arguello Boulevard, as stated in San Francisco’s Vision Zero Core Principles. Historic precedent demonstrates that immediate action to save the lives of vulnerable street users is possible.

In March of 2019, one week after a 30-year old bicyclist was killed in District 6 after being struck by a driver on Folsom Street, a protected bike lane was built and completed on Folsom Street with full support of then Supervisor Matt Haney. Later that year, on November 5, 2019, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency regarding pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in the city. District 1 and District 2 families, neighbors, transportation advocates and safe streets supporters would like a similar immediate rapid response to the preventable traffic violence that continues to occur on Arguello Boulevard.

We urge Supervisors Connie Chan and Catherine Stefani and Mayor London Breed to immediately stop accepting traffic deaths and injuries as status quo, and prioritize the lives of the most vulnerable street users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, people in wheelchairs, and all those who use non-motorized forms of transportation in our districts. We urge the SFMTA to prioritize a protected bike lane on both sides of Arguello Boulevard. We further advocate for immediate increased safety improvements at intersections as follows: no turn on red lights at intersections on Arguello and all cross streets, bike boxes at all intersections with stoplights, additional pedestrian safety infrastructure at crosswalks, bollards at dangerous intersections to prevent illegal left turns, and leading pedestrian intervals at every intersection on Arguello Boulevard and all cross streets.

On December 12, 2022, the San Francisco Bicycle Advisory Committee unanimously passed a resolution in support of protected bike lanes on Arguello Boulevard and the above safety improvements at all intersections on Arguello. The resolution was sent to all members of the Board of Supervisors.

Please help us to quickly add protected bike lanes and safety improvements on Arguello Boulevard by signing this petition. Once we gather 500 signatures, we’ll present this petition to Supervisors Connie Chan and Catherine Stefani, as well as the SFMTA, so these changes will be made a priority in 2023.

Thank you!