Ped Safety Fixes on Sloat, Where Girl Was Killed, Moved Up to This June

Pedestrian safety fixes on deadly Sloat Boulevard will be installed beginning this June -- much sooner than originally proposed.

At the intersection of Sloat and Forest View Drive, where 17-year-old Hanren Chang was killed by a drunk driver in a crosswalk in March, the Department of Public Works will install bulb-outs, more visible crosswalks, street lights, an extended pedestrian refuge median, and a button-activated pedestrian beacon, according to the agency's website. Those improvements are scheduled to be finished by August.

The second phase of the project, which includes similar improvements at Sloat's intersections with 23rd Avenue and Everglade Drive, would be in place by June 2014, DPW's website says.

Previously, a city memo on the project had indicated that safety improvements might not be on the ground until June 2014.

Elizabeth Stampe, executive director of Walk SF, said "this rapid action on Sloat safety improvements shows a real change."

"It shows that city leaders are listening to the community, to take action to make our streets safer," she said. "For too long, it's taken years to get small fixes. Now that the voice for safe, walkable streets is growing, we look forward to seeing street fixes happen faster to prevent more tragedies."

"This is the kind of action we need to see on the new Pedestrian Strategy, to fix five miles of streets a year," she added. "This isn't rocket science. We need funding and political will to fix the city's most dangerous streets, where people get hit by cars every single day."

A community meeting on the Sloat improvements with DPW, Supervisors Katy Tang and Norman Yee will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at the San Francisco Zoo.