A group that advocates on behalf of pedestrians and bicyclists launched a campaign Wednesday to get the city of San Diego to make improvements at 15 intersections.
As part of "The Fatal Fifteen" initiative, Circulate San Diego has posted warning signs at the listed intersections, which are spread across the city, including downtown, City Heights, Hillcrest, Pacific Beach and the South Bay.
Kathleen Ferrier of Circulate San Diego said the city has taken some steps since adopting the group's Vision Zero plan, which aims to put a stop to traffic deaths in the city, but could do more.
"While the city has taken strides to adopt the goal of zero deaths, we have not seen tangible infrastructure improvements in areas with the highest crash rates to demonstrate this commitment," Ferrier said. "Meanwhile, death and injury on our streets continue to rise."
She said the number of pedestrian crashes increased last year for the third year in a row.
The group contends the city could take simple steps to reduce deaths and injuries in dangerous locations like painting ladder or zebra stripes in crosswalks for increased visibility, installing countdown traffic signals and making sure signals have audible prompts to let people know when it's safe to cross.
“Please look at the data where crashes are more likely to happen and fix those intersections with simple solutions that we think can costs less than $15,000 an intersection,” Ferrier said.
The city often responds to complaints, she said.
The street with the most intersections on the list is University Avenue, including where the thoroughfare meets with Park Boulevard in North Park. In City Heights, 52nd Street also tops the list with intersections in Fairmount, Marlborough and Menlo avenues.
Newly Elected City Councilmember Georgette Gomez said her area has been neglected.
“Historically, we are in a community that has been ignored for far too long,” Gomez said.
Other dangerous intersections, according to Circulate San Diego, are:
— Mission Boulevard at Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach;
— Fifth and Sixth avenues at Broadway in downtown;
— Fourth and Fifth avenues at B Street in downtown;
— El Cajon Boulevard at 36th Street in North Park;
— Paradise Valley Road at Deep Dell Road in South Bay Terraces;
— Euclid Avenue at Naranja Street in Lincoln Park;
— Palm Avenue at 16th Street in Nestor; and
— Coronado and Thermal avenues in Nestor.
