Mayor, SFPD, SFMTA and Allied Public Health and Safety Agencies Announce Traffic Enforcement and Safety Efforts for Back to School Week (17-122)

The San Francisco Police Department, joined by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the San Francisco Unified School District and allied public safety agencies including the California Highway Patrol San Francisco Office and the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, today outlined strategies designed to make streets safer for children as students return to school on Monday, August 21. “While our students continue their studies, we continue our efforts to make San Francisco’s streets as safe and accommodating as possible,” said Mayor Edwin M. Lee. “Our traffic safety improvements are slowing down motorists on local streets and the police are enforcing speed limits near our schools. We are creating an environment where students feel as safe walking to school as they do in their classroom.” The SFPD and the SFMTA, which oversees all ground transportation in the city, have identified 10 schools across San Francisco that are near streets with documented speeding concerns. These schools are also proximate to the City’s Vision Zero High Injury Network, where 75 percent of severe and fatal traffic injuries happen on just 13 percent of San Francisco’s streets. In support of the city’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2024, the SFPD will be enhancing traffic enforcement near the schools for the entire week in addition to its ongoing traffic enforcement efforts. “Back to school week gives us an opportunity to raise awareness about the dangers associated with speeding,” said SFPD Chief William Scott. “We know that as speed increases, so does the likelihood of a severe injury in a collision. Our enforcement of the 15 mile-per-hour limit in school zones citywide is to designed to protect our youngest pedestrians and help provide safe passage to our schools.“ Schools that will receive enhanced SFPD enforcement on the week of Aug. 21 include:

• Bessie Carmichael Elementary
• Ecole Notre Dame des Victoires Archbishop Riordan High School
• Edison Charter Academy KIPP SF Bay Academy
• James Lick Middle School Creative Arts Charter School
• Thurgood Marshall High School George Washington High School

“Starting Monday, 65,000 of our students, teachers and staff will be on Muni, in cars, riding bikes or walking to school,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews. “And while we teach our students and families about traffic safety, we need all San Francisco residents to be careful on the road now that so many of us will be heading to and from school.” The SFMTA’s School Crossing Guard Program will play a critical role in keeping children safe. In addition to Monday being the first day of school for many students, it is also the first day for nine new school crossing guards. In total, the SFMTA has expanded the program to include 179 crossing guards, staffing 151 corners at 107 schools citywide. “We are committed to working with the school communities to improve safety for our youngest pedestrians,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “By building safer streets and leading safety education efforts, we support the growing number of San Francisco parents and children, who are using their bikes, feet, Muni and other sustainable modes of transportation to get to and from school.” The Vision Zero “Safe Routes to School” initiative is providing educational materials printed in English, Cantonese and Spanish for law enforcement officers to distribute to members of the public. These materials feature safety tips for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians to enhance safe travel in school zones. For more information, please visit www.visionzerosf.org.