Last Friday, Tess Rothstein was killed on Howard at Sixth while riding a bike on her way to work. The location of the crash was 60 feet away from a stretch of hard-fought protected bike lane. If a protected bike lane had been in place on the block of Howard between Fifth and Sixth, Tess would still be with us.
In response to our asks on Friday, the SFMTA, with leadership from Mayor London Breed, has committed to adding a protected bike lane on Howard between Fourth and Sixth streets. While we recognize the Mayor’s direction and SFMTA’s quick response, too often this type of immediate remedy is a result of a fatal traffic collision. The loss of life is too high of a price to pay for urgent action.
It’s time to hold our elected leaders accountable and demand action. Our Mayor London Breed and our Board of Supervisors need to make urgent, transformative safety changes on our streets.
Our demands:
- Protected bike lanes for the full length on Howard and Folsom streets
- Fast-tracked progress on our bicycling high-injury corridors citywide in the next year
- A streamlined approvals process for protected bike lanes.
We’ve put together the above demands, but to make them a reality, our elected leaders need to hear your stories and experiences riding in San Francisco.
Write to your mayor, your Supervisor and to the SF Municipal Transportation Agency with the following link and let them know that your safety should not come at the price of another’s.
To: MayorLondonBreed@sfgov.org, Board.of.Supervisors@sfgov.org
Cc: charles@sfbike.org, MTABoard@SFMTA.com, ed.reiskin@sfmta.com
Subject: Don’t wait for another life lost
Last Friday was a somber reminder of the conditions of bicycling on San Francisco streets. How many other tragedies will it take to address the glaring safety issues I face daily while riding my bicycle?
We don’t want to lose another. Please take urgent action now with a comprehensive plan to address bicycle safety in San Francisco.
