San Francisco named Second Most Walkable City

According to a July 2011 report issued by Walk Score – a group that promotes “walkable neighborhoods – San Francisco ranks second in the nation among the “most walkable cities.” In general, a “Walk Score” is determined by a number of factors that include proximity to restaurants, retail shopping, public transportation, and other amenities. In fact, out of a possible 100 points, San Francisco scored an 84.9, second only to New York. Across the Bay, Oakland came in tenth place with a score of 68.2.

While this is good news for San Francisco residents – especially since each Walk Score point has been shown to equal roughly $3,000 in home value – it also means accidents involving pedestrians is unlikely to decline.

Pedestrian Knockdowns are still a Problem in San Francisco

According to a May 2011 San Francisco Examiner article, roughly 52% of all traffic fatalities in San Francisco involve pedestrians. According to a March 2011 San Francisco Examiner article, a lack of coordination between officials and various departments in the city has delayed or prevented “traffic-calming” measures from being implemented across the city. After three pedestrian deaths spanning a six-day period in March, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority held a safety hearing.

While various calls were made for increasing pedestrian safety, the reality is millions of dollars are needed to implement intersection bulb-outs, countdown signals, and reduced speed limits. Additionally, at the present time no single agency is responsible for pedestrian safety; instead, about a dozen local agencies share in partial responsibility for pedestrian safety throughout the city.

Pedestrian Knockdowns – Holding Negligent Drivers Accountable

It’s not uncommon for car, bus, and commercial truck drivers to claim they didn’t see a pedestrian. In fact, if you listen to most drivers it’s the pedestrian’s fault for “coming out of no where” or “standing in the street.” These comments and others like them often betray distraction on the part of drivers who don’t always stop properly at intersections or ignore crosswalks. In other situations, talking on a cell phone, texting, or being otherwise distracted also factors into a failure to see pedestrians.

That’s why it’s important to work with an experienced personal injury lawyer who understands how to investigate pedestrian knockdowns, recreate what happened, on hold negligent drivers accountable. If you’ve been injured in a pedestrian knockdown, contact San Francisco pedestrian accident attorneys at Weber & Nierenberg today.