A man in a wheelchair, reportedly in his 20s, was killed by a driver at Market Street and Octavia Boulevard around midnight last night. SFPD spokesperson Albie Esparza said the crash is still under investigation, but that driver appears to have been heading south on Octavia at the entrance of the Central Freeway, where witnesses said the victim was crossing against the light. The man is the 13th known pedestrian to be killed by a driver in SF this year.
In shots from NBC's television broadcast, the victim's motorized wheelchair can be seen sitting several dozen feet south of the intersection on the freeway ramp. SFPD investigators have not determined how fast the driver was going.
As media reports have noted, a new enforcement camera was activated Friday to cite drivers making illegal right turns from eastbound Market on to the freeway ramp, but it doesn't appear the driver was making such a turn in this case.
"News of another pedestrian death on Market and Octavia is truly devastating, and reminds us of the dangers pedestrian face when freeways intermix with city streets," said Walk SF Executive Director Nicole Schneider, who noted that another pedestrian suffered "major injuries" after being hit by a driver last Thursday at a freeway onramp near Seventh and Harrison Streets in SoMa. "Not only are these intersections dangerous because of the high speeds of cars and trucks entering and exiting, they're often dark, loud, uninviting, and segment our communities."
Since the Central Freeway ramp opened at Market and Octavia in 2005, the intersection has seen a higher rate of traffic injuries than any other in SF, with 13 in 2011, according to the SFMTA's 2009-2011 Traffic Collisions Report [PDF]. Although livable streets advocates and city agencies pushed for a tear-down of the Central Freeway back to Bryan Street after it was damaged in an earthquake, it was rebuilt to touch down at Market and Octavia at the behest of Caltrans and car commuters living in the western neighborhoods.
Schneider pointed to recent calls from John Norquist, president of the Congress for the New Urbanism, for a "freeway-free San Francisco." At a forum in September, Norquist asked why SF, which protested its planned freeways and prevented most them from being built -- and is considering removing another section -- doesn’t just go all the way and take down the few that were raised.
"Freeways merging with city streets create a terrifyingly dangerous situation for pedestrians, bicyclists and truly all roadway users," said Schneider. "Perhaps it's time for San Francisco to seriously consider what 'freeway-free' could mean for public health, safety, and livability in our wonderful city."
[Update] SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose said the new enforcement camera cannot capture video footage of crashes to be used as evidence in crash investigations, as it only takes still photos of drivers who make an illegal right turn.
