PRESS RELEASE: Pedestrian killed at intersection of Market and 6th street

CORRECTION: SFPD has updated the information they previously shared regarding the fatality on Market street last Friday; SFPD and Lime now both confirm that the person was not riding a Lime electric scooter. We’ve updated our press release below to reflect this new information.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition was devastated to hear of another pedestrian fatality here in San Francisco, the ninth this year. According to SFPD, a 77-year-old pedestrian was crossing Market street at 6th street last Friday afternoon, July 18, when someone riding an electric scooter collided with him; the pedestrian was transported to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries. No further information is available at this time.

Our hearts are with his family and friends today. No one should lose their life crossing the street in San Francisco. And yet, we know that pedestrians, and seniors in particular, are our most vulnerable road users. Serious injuries and fatalities in San Francisco stubbornly remain steady; our now-lapsed commitment to Vision Zero and incremental progress in street redesigns intended to reduce speeds and curb reckless driving behavior have proven insufficient to address the epidemic of traffic violence on our streets. 

This tragedy reinforces that there is a hierarchy of road user safety that runs a spectrum between users who can cause the most damage but are least vulnerable — and therefore bear the greatest responsibility for keeping others safe — to those who are most vulnerable and deserve the most caution by others. “Streets are our largest civic space, and we all share responsibility for the safety of others, especially those who are more vulnerable than ourselves,” says Claire Amable, Director of Advocacy for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “That means the most vulnerable road users should be given deference and as much space as possible; pedestrians are more vulnerable than bike and scooter users, and people biking and rolling are more vulnerable than those driving cars.” 

At the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, we vocally represent and advocate for everyone biking and rolling in San Francisco, including those who ride scooters. Scooters, scooter share, and bike share can provide a flexible, affordable, sustainable transportation option citywide. 

While it remains unclear whether the scooter rider involved in the crash was on a privately owned or shared scooter, scooter share operators can and should be doing more to fulfill their obligations to provide crucial safety training to their customers. Scooter share provides a gateway for people to get interested in and comfortable riding scooters, often leading to them purchasing their own scooter. This means those companies are in the best position to educate their customer base on how to safely use micromobility devices. 

The scooter companies that have been permitted by SFMTA to operate scooter share here in San Francisco are required by their approved permit to offer educational classes to their customer base at least quarterly, classes which must be designed to address safe scooter riding rules and inform their customers that riding on sidewalks is illegal and may result in account suspension or revocation. 

This incident also reinforces how important it is for the SFMTA to continue to invest in free scooter education. “We know that many people who begin riding scooters for transportation are unfamiliar with the rules of the road and aren’t accustomed to the safety behaviors that keep everyone on our streets safe,” says Amable. “The City’s transportation agency is responsible for providing this important education work, in order to ensure that public knowledge keeps pace with adoption of e-scooters.” 

Become a member and you'll improve your commute and get discounts at shops across the city.