SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Traffic safety advocates called on the city of San Diego Monday to allocate funding for enhanced safety measures at what they said were the 15 deadliest intersections in the city.
At a news conference held Monday morning at one of the "Fatal 15" intersections, the groups Circulate San Diego, Families for Safe Streets San Diego, and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition called for a number of traffic improvements to be included in the city's Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
The proposals include striping that would increase visibility of crosswalks, countdown signals and audio prompts that let pedestrians know when it is safe to cross.
"This is a high-return, low-cost budget item," said Will Moore, policy counsel for Circulate San Diego. "We understand that it is difficult to run a city. There are a lot of hard decisions -- so it is even more important to get the easy ones right. Fix the Fatal 15."
The "Fatal 15" intersections identified by the groups are:
-- Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and Doliva Drive
-- Rosecrans Street and Moore Street
-- University Avenue and Alabama Street
-- Federal Boulevard and Euclid Avenue
-- Mira Mesa Boulevard and Black Mountain Road
-- Mira Mesa Boulevard and Aderman Avenue
-- Westview Parkway and Mira Mesa Boulevard
-- Palm Avenue and 16th Street
-- Imperial Avenue and 26th Street
-- Market Street and 19th Street
-- University Avenue and 44th Street
-- University Avenue and College Avenue
-- El Cajon Boulevard and 46th Street
-- El Cajon Boulevard and Altadena Avenue
-- El Cajon Boulevard and 60th Street
The groups say that despite the city's "Vision Zero" resolution adopted in 2015, which sought to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2025, nearly 50 pedestrians and cyclists are killed in San Diego annually.
Chloe Lauer, executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, said the proposed improvements could cut fatal car crashes in half.
Also speaking at the news conference was Katie Gordon, whose husband Jason was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver near Market and 19th streets. Gordon is survived by his wife and twin daughters.
"Small improvements make a big impact. Please don't let the Fatal 15 take another life," Katie Gordon said.
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