To the City of San Francisco and its Elected Officials,
As concerned members of this community—parents, neighbors, and residents—we are heartbroken by the recent car crash that left a young child hospitalized. This tragedy, while deeply painful, is neither surprising nor unexpected. It is the direct result of years of neglect and the City's failure to address a recurring and well-identified threat to safety.
The inadequate infrastructure in our city is our primary issue. In one of the most densely populated cities in the country, the absence of basic safety measures for those walking and biking is inexcusable. Streets and intersections are designed with driver convenience in mind, while the safety of our community is an afterthought. The lack of protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks, and effective traffic-calming measures has left residents exposed and vulnerable. The intersection where the child was injured has been recognized by neighbors as a danger for years, yet the city has taken little to no action.
Reckless driving behavior is rampant—speeding, rolling through stop signs, and aggressive driving are daily occurrences. The City’s delayed response to this crisis is unacceptable. While enforcement may have increased recently, it is too little, too late. Prevention through infrastructure and policy must be the first line of defense, as these proven strategies are essential in reducing dangerous behavior before it happens. Enforcement, particularly through the use of speed cameras, can play a critical role in supporting these measures by holding drivers accountable and deterring reckless behavior. However, years of neglect have allowed drivers to assume there are no consequences, leading to a culture where traffic laws are openly disregarded. The City's failure to act has put lives at risk, and these preventable tragedies will continue until fundamental changes are made.
Crash data for District 1 reveals the scale of the problem: According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, 204 vehicle crashes have injured people between April 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024 which is a crash approximately every 2.3 days. In just the last six months, there have been multiple serious incidents within a concentrated six-block by two-block area, including Park Presidio and Fulton, 8th and Cabrillo, and most recently, 7th and Balboa where a child was critically injured, which led to the writing of this letter. This pattern of preventable tragedies underscores the urgent need for comprehensive safety measures and a reimagining of our neighborhood streets to prevent further harm.
The City’s inaction is more than a failure of governance; it is an abandonment of its duty to protect residents, especially the most vulnerable. This was not an accident; it was the inevitable result of prioritizing cars over community safety.
We cannot wait any longer for action. The City must take responsibility for its role in creating a safer, more sustainable environment for all residents, starting with decisive changes to street design and policy with safety as the top priority. Parents and community members are mobilizing for change, and we urge policymakers to see this as a clear signal: the call for street safety is growing, and the time to act is now.
Sincerely,
We, the Undersigned Concerned Members of the Community
Including organizations, parents and caregivers, educators, medical professionals and first responders, business owners, community members, safe street advocates, former elected officials, and more. Full list of signees to follow.
ORGANIZERS
Jen Nossokoff
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Danielle and Nick Jezienicki
Parents of Bowie, age 6, hospitalized by crash
Statement from Danielle and Nick
One of the reasons we love living in the city is how much of a community the Inner Richmond is. From school to home to Clement Street- our neighborhood is so convenient and close knit- especially by bike. Our sense of safety and normalcy was shattered on that Monday as our entire lives stopped when, just days after his sixth birthday party, our precious Bowie was impacted in a traffic and bike crash as he was leaving school.
We are so grateful that he is expected to make a full recovery, but it will be a long road. To see your kid on a hospital bed when hours before they were on the soccer field is something I hope no parent ever has to experience. Certainly not as a result of a car crashing into their bike, half a block from their school.
Better bike safety is such a benefit for the community - not only keeping kids and pedestrians safe, but it makes the Richmond a wonderful place to live. Biking is such an eco friendly and sustainable mode of getting around our beautiful city, and should be a priority at minimum for safety, if not as a cornerstone of San Francisco life and community. No community was ever improved by more cars!
Thank you all SO much for your incredible support and efforts. The love we’ve felt during Bowie’s recovery has been absolutely overwhelming and another testament to our incredible community and school. We truly don’t have the words to express how much it has meant to us.
SIGNED BY
ORGANIZATIONS
Richmond Family SF
Outer Sunset Neighbors
Friends of Great Highway Park
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
INDIVIDUALS
Adrianna Moreno
Parent
Aimee Rozen
Parent, Community Member
Alex Darr
Parent, Community Member
Alex Wong
Parent, Community Member
Allison Firestone
Parent, Community Member, Educator
Alondra Esquivel Garcia
Community Member
Alyssa Cheung
Parent, Community Member
Alyssa Harvey
Community Member
Amanda Gamble
Parent, Community Member, Educator
Amber Lennon
Parent, Community Member
Amy Diallo
PhD, Scientist
Andrew Hines
Parent, Community Member
Angela Alaniz
Parent, Community Member
Anna Hines
Parent, Community Member
Ashley Crawford
Parent, Community Member
Ashlyn Glancy
University of San Francisco, Student
Aubrey Carstenson
Parent, Community Member
Barnett Trzcinski
Community Member
Blair Kelly
Parent, Community Member
Brent Couchman
Parent, Community Member
Brian Reyes
Parent, Community Member
Byron A Hawley
Parent, Community Member
Cal Law
Community Member
Carol Brownson
Community Member
Carrie Brown
Parent, Community Member
Cathy Targett
Community Member
Celeste Perron
Parent, Advocate
Cesar Alaniz
Parent, Community Member
Charlotte Mooney
Parent, Community Member, Educator
Chris Bergeron
Community Member
Chris Bourne
Community Member
Christopher Plaskett
Parent, Community Member
Claudia Garibay
Parent, Community Member
Corbin Muraro
Community Member
Courtney Tawadrous
Parent, Community Member
Cyrus Hall
Community Member, Advocate
Darrell Bailey
Parent, Community Member, Medical Professional
David Alexander
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
David Friedlander-Holm
Parent, Community Member, Educator
Denise Winkler
Parent
Dennis Lynch
Community Member
Eliza Panike
Community Member, SFMTA CAC Member
Elizabeth Corbett
Parent, Community Member
Elizabeth Harrison
Parent, Community Member
Elliot Schwartz
Community Member
Eric Mar
Parent, Community Member, Educator, Former Richmond District Supervisor and Board of Education President
Erin Gilmore
Parent, Community Member
Eva Holman
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Grant Goldman
Community Member
Hayley McKane
Parent, Community Member
Heida Biddle
Parent, Community Member
Heidi Moseson
Parent, Community Member, Medical Professional
Jacqueline Mauro
Parent
James Le
Parent
Jason Karsh
Parent, Community Member
Jay Bain
Parent, Community Member
Jay Dillon
Parent, Community Member
Jenifer Navarro
Parent, Community Member
Jennifer Elmore
Community Member
Jennifer Longley
Senior Advisor, San Francisco Women's Political Committee
Jenny Koland
Parent, Community Member
Jessica Sit
Parent, Community Member
Jim Aldrich
Community Member, Board Member at Golden Gate Senior Services
Joannah Bell
Parent, Community Member
Jodi Dove
Parent, Community Member
John Elliott
Community Member
Judith Way
Public High School Student
Julie Pesano
Educator
Julien Gaillard
Parent, Community Member
Justin Martinkovic
Parent, Community Member
Karen Chan
Parent, Community Member
Katrina Steffek
Parent, Community Member
Kenneth Russell
Community Member
Kristin Tièche
Community Member, Educator, Vice Chair at the San Francisco Bicycle Advisory Committee, representing District 1
Lian Chang
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Lindsay Facchini
Parent, Community Member
Lindsey Couchman
Parent, Community Member
Liz O’Donoghue
Parent, Community Member
Lucia Pacca
Parent
Lucas Lux
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Luke Bornheimer
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Madhavi Maheshwari
Parent, Community Member
Madison Avery
Student
Mark Plenke
Community Member
Marta Lindsey
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Maxwell Gerber
Community Member
Megan Miller
Parent, Community Member
Megan Yuen
Parent, Community Member
Melanie Girod
Community Member
Mia Morrill
Community Member
Michael Patrick Crehan
Parent, Community Member, Firefighter/First Responder
Michael Wakshlag
Parent, Community Member
Michelle Devaux
Parent, Medical Professional
Michelle Conklin
Community Member, Educator
Monica Hannon
Parent, Medical Professional
Monica Strauch
Community Member
Nadia Rahman
Community Member
Naheed Deboo
Parent, Community Member
Nandini Novarr
Parent, Community Member
Nicholas Navarro
Parent, Community Member
Paul Enns Wiebe
Educator
Paul Rivera
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Paul Wermer
Community Member, Advocate
Pauline Basso
PhD, UCSF
Pearl Monaghan
Community Member, Educator
Peter Belden
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Phoebe Ford
Parent, Community Member
Quentin Riffard
PhD, Community Member
Rachel Clyde
Community Member
Raymond Rodriguez
Parent, Community Member
Rebecca Karsh
Parent, Community Member
Regan Mahoney
Parent, Community Member
Rich Menendez
Parent, Community Member
Rishi Misra
Community Member, Advocate
Rita Way
Parent, Community Member
Rosabel Chang
Parent, Community Member
Sarah Boudreau
Community Member
Shyla Batliwalla
Parent, Community Member
Sobia Itwaru
Parent, Community Member
Stacy, Eric & Paige Boise
Parents, Community Family
Stephanie Lane
Parent, Community Member, Educator
Stephen Braitsch
Community Member, Advocate
Susan Friedlander-Holm
Parent, Community Member, Educator, Regular Biker
Susan Zhang
Parent, Community Member
Susanna Burgess
Parent, Community Member
Terry Burgess
Parent, Community Member
Tim Marcus
Parent, Community Member, Business Owner
Trevor Burke
Community Member
Trish Gump
Parent, Community Member, Advocate
Veronica Cortez
Community Member
Victoria Thomas
Parent, Community Member
Wendy Aragón
Community Member
Will Holleran
Entrepreneur
Zac Cicala
Parent, Community Member
Zachary Granados
Parent, Community Member
PROTECT KIDS.
NOT CARS.
An Open letter to the City.