Supervisor Preston Calls for Public Town Halls after Traffic Fatalities

SAN FRANCISCO — Following a deadly month of traffic fatalities, Supervisor Preston has introduced a resolution calling for a public town hall to be held within two weeks of any traffic fatality.

“Right now, after a traffic fatality, City staff do a lot of work behind the scenes, but the public is left out of the conversation,” said Supervisor Preston. “A town hall will allow us to honor victims and raise awareness to prevent further traffic fatalities.”

The announcement comes after the 15th traffic fatality on the streets of San Francisco this year, with seven deaths in the month of May alone.

The City currently has a Vision Zero Traffic Fatality Protocol that requires MTA to convene a Rapid Response call with DPH and SFPD within a week of a traffic fatality, along with other requirements, however, the current protocol does not include any public-facing disclosures or information, except for monthly reporting of the number and location of incidents on the Vision Zero Website. The current program falls short of meaningfully engaging the public and responding to community concerns.

“I'm deeply committed to making sure we meet the goals of Vision Zero and prevent deaths and injury on our streets. I’m pleased to partner with Supervisor Preston in recommending town halls after traffic fatalities. ​These are preventable deaths, and we all need to do whatever we can to prevent them, but until we achieve that goal, we should hold a town hall to come together as a community to understand, respond, and address these tragedies,” commented Supervisor Gordon Mar.

“The aftermath of a fatal crash leaves many questions, including details on the circumstances of the crash and what type of street design changes could have prevented the crash,” said Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director of Walk SF. “Town halls would be a way to create a feedback loop for the public and for reaching Vision Zero.”

"Thanks to Supervisor Preston's leadership, people may soon have an opportunity to engage with city departments directly after a traffic fatality,” said Claire Amable, Movement Building Manager with the San Francisco Bike Coalition. “A town hall will not only raise public awareness of vision zero, but it will also provide clarity to community members while also opening space to identify solutions and mobilize communities to take action.”

The Resolution urges the SFMTA, SFPD, and DPH to amend the Vision Zero Traffic Fatality Protocol to include a public town hall, and to report back to the Board of Supervisors within 30 days.

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