San Francisco: Pedestrian death nothing new on perilous Sunset Boulevard

from the SF Chronicle:


[font size="1"]The day after a pedestrian was killed crossing Sunset Boulevard at Yorba Street, a woman waits to cross at the same spot. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle[/font]


People who live or work near Sunset Boulevard on San Francisco's western edge were saddened when a 78-year-old man was fatally struck by a car last week while traveling across the street in a crosswalk. But they weren't surprised.

Those who have walked along the 2 1/2-mile corridor that runs parallel to the shore are familiar with the dangers that come with negotiating the busy six-lane thoroughfare - where 44 pedestrians have been struck from 2005 to 2011, according to city records.

The street has been identified by officials as one of the San Francisco's high-injury trouble areas, an outlier on a list of streets closer to downtown. And the city has sought to make it safer.

But as the number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the city continues to rise, raising alarm in the streets and at City Hall, pedestrian safety advocates say it's time to take a harder look at problem streets like Sunset Boulevard - and make some drastic changes. ..........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Pedestrian-death-nothing-new-on-perilous-Sunset-5219707.php