Fiona Ma: Slow Down, Look Around

Since my election in December 2002, I have placed a high priority on pedestrian safety issues in the Sunset. Early on, I met with the SF Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) to discuss priorities for the Sunset and surrounding areas, including traffic concerns for 19th Avenue and Sunset Boulevard.

In May of 2003, due to an increase in incidents along the 19th Avenue corridor, my office kicked off our District 4 Three-Point Pedestrian Safety Program. Elements of this program include:

· Encouraging continued traffic enforcement on 19th Avenue. We have been working closely with Capt. Keith Sanford at the Taraval Police Station and members of the SF Police Department's Traffic Enforcement division. As a result, additional resources have been allocated for the 19th Avenue corridor.

· Partnering with local organizations on a media campaign designed to increase pedestrian awareness and safety around 19th Avenue. On July 31, we launched the "Slow Down, Look Around" traffic-safety awareness campaign in conjunction with Mayor Willie Brown, Jr., the California State Automobile Association (AAA) and the 49er Foundation. The campaign ran concurrently with a campaign by DPT to accelerate signal upgrades and improve sign and signal visibility along the 19th Avenue corridor.

· Working with DPT to expedite pedestrian and traffic signal upgrades along 19th Avenue. As Finance Chair of the SF County Transportation Authority, I was very vocal in advocating for the prioritization of 19th Avenue signal upgrades and traffic calming measures in the recently passed Proposition K (Sales Tax Extension).

In addition to this overall plan, my office has been working on a variety of other pedestrian safety issues in the Sunset and Parkside districts. Some of the projects include the re-stripping of crosswalks in school vicinities to reflective ladder-style crosshatching; recommending and advocating for stop signs in key locations, especially around schools and senior centers; and studies and recommendations to improve traffic flow in our merchant corridors.

For more information or recommendations on improvements to safety in our neighborhood and along 19th Avenue, you may direct mail to Supervisor Fiona Ma, 1 Dr Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244, San Francisco, CA 94102, or e-mail suggestions to fiona.ma@sfgov.org.

Supervisor Fiona Ma represents District 4.