Nearly 100 community members gathered outside San Rafael City Hall Monday evening to honor the life of Chris Brignetti, a beloved husband, coach, and cyclist who was killed while riding on Freitas Parkway on June 28. Organized by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC), the rally channeled grief into a unified demand: San Rafael must fix the intersection where Chris was killed and reform the process that allowed it to remain dangerous for so long.
MCBC Policy & Planning Director Warren Wells opened the evening with a moment of silence. “Our deepest sympathies go out to Chris’s family and community,” Wells said. “Our goal today is not to point fingers, but rather to demand that the city fix two things. Fix this deadly intersection and fix the process by which our streets are made safer.”
Warren detailed a history of preventable collisions at the Freitas Parkway and Lea Drive intersection. Five in recent years, all under similar circumstances, namely a driver turning left into the path of a bicyclist traveling downhill. He pointed to 2023 repaving efforts that ignored recommendations from the city’s own Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. “The fixes are simple,” Wells said, “narrow the lanes, extend the median, and trim back vegetation to improve visibility. These changes could have made Chris’s crash far less likely.”
Dave Rhoads, co-chair of Walk/Bike San Rafael and father who moved to the area from San Francisco in 2019, spoke of the need for collective action. “We can’t accept streets that feel unsafe,” he said. “We have to come together and hold decision-makers accountable.”
Joe Mulligan of Marin Cyclists placed a white “ghost bike” near the steps, a solemn roadside memorial used worldwide to mark where bicyclists have died. “This bike stands not just for Chris,” Mulligan told the crowd, “but for every rider lost on streets that should be safe.”
Inside City Hall, more than 30 people, including Chris’s widow, students he coached, neighbors, and fellow advocates spoke during the City Council’s time for public comment. Many spoke to Chris’s skills on the bike. He was an experienced rider and dedicated coach. If someone like Chris could be killed in broad daylight on a neighborhood street, it sends a chilling message: none of us are truly safe.
MCBC looks forward to hearing the city’s plans to address the safety concerns at this intersection, and would like to extend an invitation to city leaders to visit the crash site and discuss next steps.
Warren closed the rally with a reminder: “Fixing this intersection is the easy part. The hard part is changing the way this city approaches safety. But together, we can do it.”
To stay up to date on the efforts to improve safety and access in San Rafael, join the mailing list for Walk/Bike San Rafael.
This post also appears on the Marin County Bicycle Coalition website.
