PRESS RELEASE
Victims of Traffic Violence Rally to Call on the City of San Diego to Get Kids to School Safely
Contact: Will Moore, Policy Counsel, Circulate San Diego, 858-210-7999, [email protected]
On Friday, May 30, at 1:00 p.m., at the intersection of University Avenue and Cherokee Avenue in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, Circulate San Diego, Families for Safe Streets San Diego, The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, and BikeSD led a rally against traffic violence - calling on the City of San Diego to make improvements to “Get Kids to School Safely.”
University and Cherokee is one of the Fatal 15 intersections – the deadliest intersections in San Diego. It’s also along one of San Diego’s 6 Critical Corridors identified by SANDAG as among the most dangerous for pedestrians. The intersection is within a quarter-mile of multiple schools, including Edison Elementary and Cherokee Point Elementary, placing children and families at daily risk.
Victims of traffic violence and elected officials highlighted the urgent need to make school routes safer and will be encouraging the City to support the Vision Zero Coalition’s budget priorities, which include:
- Improving safety along the 6 Critical Corridors to school;
- Fixing the Fatal 15 intersections; and
- Reducing speeds in school zones through the implementation of AB 43.
San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who lives in and represents the City Heights neighborhood that includes University and Cherokee, drove the point home saying, “Protecting our children is a sacred responsibility. The status quo is failing our children. This intersection is within a quarter mile of two elementary schools. No parent should have to worry about whether their child will make it to school.”
Stephen Whitburn, San Diego District 3 City Councilmember, said, "This intersection at University and Cherokee is one of San Diego's Fatal 15. It sits on a corridor that has seen 62 pedestrian and cyclist injuries and two deaths in the past decade. That's unacceptable, especially when kids walk to school just a few blocks away. This is not just about infrastructure. It's about improving quality of life for residents, commuters and for all San Diegans.”
Shana Hazan, the San Diego Unified School District Board Member who represents the area, said, “Here at the intersection of University and Cherokee, we are just blocks from Edison Elementary and Cherokee Point Elementary. Hundreds of families walk or bike across this intersection every day and every day they face danger. No child should have to risk their lives just to get to school.”
Amy Cohen, Founder and President of Families for Safe Streets National, put our local safety crisis in a national perspective saying, “Every day, 100 people are killed in car crashes in the United States. It's the equivalent of a plane crashing every day. This is a preventable public health crisis.”
Laura Keenan, Co-Founder & Chair of Families for Safe Streets San Diego, who organized the event, summed up the rally-goers’ sense of urgency saying, “No child's safety should depend on their zip code.
A downloadable copy of this press release can be found here.
Photos from the rally:
San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, with members of Families for Safe Streets, backed by (left to right) Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, and San Diego Unified School Board Member Shana Hazan. (High Res version available here.)
San Diego Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, with members of Families for Safe Streets, backed by (left to right), Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, Laura Keenan, Co-Founder & Chair of Families for Safe Streets San Diego, and San Diego Unified School Board Member Shana Hazan. (High Res version available here.)
San Diego Unified School Board Member Shana Hazan, with members of Families for Safe Streets, backed by (left to right) Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, and Laura Keenan, Co-Founder & Chair of Families for Safe Streets San Diego. (High Res version available here.)
Laura Keenan, Co-Founder & Chair of Families for Safe Streets San Diego, with members of Families for Safe Streets, backed by (left to right) Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, and San Diego Unified School Board Member Shana Hazan. (High Res version available here.)
