San Francisco residents gathered Tuesday for a rally and memorial at the intersection where a 4-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed last week.
Her death has prompted an outcry for more pedestrian safety, and it appears city and state officials are listening.
“Just like you, my heart is breaking. And I’m angry, I’m really, really angry!” said Jodie Medeiros of the Walk San Francisco Foundation.
The girl was in a stroller being pushed by her father when, according to police, a car plowed through the crosswalk on 4th and King, killing her. The 71-year-old driver has been charged with several counts including vehicular manslaughter.
Supervisor Matt Dorsey says part of the solution is a proposal in Sacramento that would allow San Francisco to install speed detection cameras.
“So that if you speed on a surface street in a residential neighborhood in my city, you’re getting a ticket,” he said. “This isn’t taking a risk of getting one, you have the certainty of getting one.”
Melinda Sullivan and husband Mark marched Tuesday with their 4-year-old son Trevor.
“I would like to see safer streets, designed and enforced for walkers, bikers, so people can use all the streets,” said Sullivan.
Mayor London Breed has already announced changes in response to the tragedy, removing the outer right turn lane from 4th onto King, and changing the right turn traffic signal from a green light to a yellow arrow.
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Also out there Tuesday were police with radar guns trying to make this area safer. Lieutenant Will Escobar was out the night the 4-year-old girl was killed.
“You don’t want anybody to lose their life, of course, no matter what,” he said. “But seeing something like that, it hurts us all. Police officers, first responders, you never forget it.”
