Here’s the latest in our “Meet the Candidates” series for District 5, where we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election.
All the responses will ultimately be compiled onto a single page, where readers can peruse the potential District 5 supervisors’ stances on upwards of 40 topics before it’s time to vote in November.
District 5 includes a lot of pedestrian-heavy neighborhoods, bike routes and transit lines. As we saw in the crash in West Portal that took the lives of an entire family, we know these collisions could happen anywhere, anytime in our city. And so far this year, we’ve already seen 11 traffic deaths in San Francisco.
This week’s question is: How important is road safety to you, and how do you plan to improve it?
Note: I will be in District 5 this week on Wednesday, March 27, at 10:30 a.m. at Alamo Square Cafe (711 Fillmore St.). Come say hi and share your thoughts.
Autumn Looijen
Mode of transport: Walking, bus, Lyft, and driving
The tragedy in West Portal leaves a hole where a family once stood — two beloved parents, and two children who will never grow up. Devastatingly sad.
Families I’ve talked with don’t feel safe on our streets. They are worried for their kids.
We don’t yet know the cause of this accident, but we do know that this bus stop was at street level, with little protection from cars. Our streets have been designed to move cars swiftly from place to place, not to keep pedestrians safeโฆ and that puts everyone in danger, kids and adults alike.
We need to redesign … Read more.
Bilal Mahmood
Mode of transport: Walking, public transit
San Francisco needs safer streets. Tragically, weโve seen traffic fatalities increasing in our neighborhoods.
Living in District 5, with one of the highest rates of traffic collisions in the city, road safety is key to my platform. We need automated speed enforcement cameras to keep our most vulnerable communities safe. Further, safety measures to ensure safe street conditions for our construction workers are essential.
As someone who walks and uses public transportation everyday, I understand and champion improved safety policies for our pedestrians and cyclists. Walking and biking should not be the most dangerous way to travel in our city.
Dean Preston
Mode of transport: Public transit
We cannot have tragedies like the West Portal crash. Iโve been a champion for public transportation, a citywide cycling network, slow streets and pedestrian safety. My office secured $17 million to fund the Western Addition Transportation Plan, and $8 million for Tenderloin street safety, created the Panhandle protected bike lane, championed the Golden Gate Greenway, Page Slow Street, and Car-free JFK. We led the way in bringing back bus lines, increasing evening service, stopping fare hikes, and winning free Muni for youth.
Iโve been an everyday Muni rider for 30 years. Green transportation and safe streets are top priorities for me.
Allen Jones
Mode of transport: The finest Swiss-designed electric wheelchair ever, in my opinion
I applaud current city efforts already in the works to maximize road safety. But the recent West Portal bus stop tragedy reminds us all that road safety will always be a challenge. Whether a road accident, criminal road act, or poorly constructed roads that make up the challenge, we all have a responsibility.
I thank all those who sounded the warnings before, not after the tragedy, as too many SF politicians are famous for doing. And I will not wait until elected to do my part to continue to report road safety issues to the responsible SF agency.
The order of candidates is rotated each week. Answers are capped at 100 words, and may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at eleni@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 5 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
Question for candidate Bilal Mahmood: why did you lie to voters while campaigning and say you were a neuroscientist when you were not? Who, other than George Santos, is pathological enough to believe they can stand in the bright light of accountability when running for elected office and lie? And lie about credentials, research, donors, residency and home address, personal voting record and campaign financing? Who does that while โaskingโ that you vote for them as your specific district elected public servant? Bilal Mahmood is entirely unfit for elected office.
The champion of public schools and algebra writes at the junior high level and can’t count to 100.
A proud recall queen. Odd too: her kids donโt go to public school in SF.
Without traffic enforcement, there is no road safety. Spoiler: there is no traffic enforcement.
Let’s see how the candidates are about keeping rent-control and renters’ right strong! We already know that Preston is a strong activist and advocate, hosting tenants’ boot-camp town halls across D5 and supporting tenants unions. Whither Mahmood, being a recipient of anti-democratic billionaires?
interesting none of the candidates are cyclists
Thank you ML for creating this feature highlighting the best San Francisco can offer in terms of putting forth the best and brightest leaders for our consideration.
1) After babbling along over the 100 word limit, actually answered the question:
Adding bollards – at least a $50 million / 5-10 year endeavour – at best a few dozen would be put put in place in high profile / visibility places at an outrageous cost and our leaders will call it a win – betting the public will forget about what happened.
Moving bus stops up from the street – what does that even mean? Sounds like $100 million.
Enforcing traffic laws – good luck with that.
2) Automated speed enforcement cameras – OK – at least it’s an answer.
Bizarre pitch from a bizarre candidate for the construction worker vote squeezed in there.
3) Did not understand this was a question and recited what he did last summer. Idiot.
4) The answer? “report road safety issues to the responsible SF agency”. Duh.
Me?
Force – by all means possible – a subdivision of the SFPD dedicated solely to moving violation traffic enforcement. Say 200 cops. And yeah – there will be quotas so get your ass out there. Bonuses for top ticket writers. Since this town is a huge playground for driving like a maniac – should be able to close The City budget deficit just on revenue from tickets.
The only “sense” I could make of Looijen’s nonsense “move the bus stops up from the street” is that she wants to build raised waiting platforms where the stops currently are. Perhaps similar to the raised boarding platforms at some F-line stops and along the above ground light rail stops. They’d have to be similarly built, except bigger to accommodate all the waiting passengers. And of course they’d need a long ramp to make them wheelchair accessible.
When the bus arrives, waiting passengers would have to go back down to “street level” (actually sidewalk level) to board the bus.
This is sheer genius. Right? On, no, it isn’t. It’s sheer stupidity.
Bollards might be useful in a few locations, but mostly for keeping drivers from parking on the sidewalk. When I’ve asked for those at a few key locations, SFMTA has ignored my requests – even in the middle of an actual conversation, they don’t give even the slightest indication that they have heard what I suggested. Repeating the suggestion makes no difference.