Today as we remember an unprecedented night exactly one year ago when two people died biking in San Francisco, we are mourning yet another loss. City action is urgently needed to prevent further bloodshed by San Franciscans simply trying to commute, run errands, and see friends and family.
Moises Chavez, 51, endeavored to bike through the intersection of Alemany Boulevard and Silver Avenue (pictured above) shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20. There, he was struck by a person turning their vehicle through the intersection. Police indicate that the person driving stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Emergency responders took Moises to San Francisco General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
With the deepest sympathies, our hearts go out to everyone mourning this tragic loss of life, including family and friends of the departed, community members in the Mission Terrace neighborhood, and people who bike across San Francisco.
Blood was spilled on San Francisco’s streets again this week, and make no mistake: this crash was preventable.
Alemany Boulevard is identified by the San Francisco Department of Public Health as a high-injury corridor: it is among the 12 percent of San Francisco streets where 70 percent of severe and fatal collisions occur. The latest public data, from 2007-2011, show three collisions reported at this exact intersection involving people biking.
Without an appropriate response to these collisions, another occurred on Tuesday. Tragically, it proved fatal.
The SF Bicycle Coalition calls on the City to identify, fund and construct the next three physically protected bike lane projects along high-injury corridors like Alemany Boulevard over the next nine months. Following the Executive Directive issued by Mayor Ed Lee after two people died biking on June 22, 2016, the City proved its ability to promptly deliver such life-saving safety improvements, despite other projects mired in years of delays.
Moises deserved better, as do all who knew and loved him. City leaders should seek to honor his memory and take the steps necessary to prevent further loss of life on our streets.
Like Alemany Boulevard, there are too many bike routes on high-injury corridors that have no plans for safety improvements, from Valencia Street to Ocean Avenue to Bayshore Boulevard. The City’s own data shows that high-injury corridors are present in every part of San Francisco and are disproportionately travelled by seniors, communities of color, families and people getting by on limited means. They deserve better, and delivering better is merely a question of City leadership and fortitude.
Make your voice heard. Tell City leaders that immediate action must be taken to ensure safety for all.
