The San Diego City Council approved a $5.8 billion revised city budget on Tuesday that includes $785,000 in additional funding for traffic safety improvements.
Road safety advocates are hopeful transportation officials will spend it on fixing the city’s 15 deadliest intersections for pedestrians and cyclists.
“We hope that the transportation department recognizes where that advocacy came from,” said Will Moore, policy counsel for Circulate San Diego. “I would hope that they would consider the tears of the survivors at those intersections as they prioritize where to spend those funds.”
According to the city’s Office of the Independent Budget Analyst, some of the improvements at the Fatal 15 are already earmarked for funding while others are still under consideration.
Council President Sean Elo-Rivera thanked advocates for sharing their funding priorities with city leaders.
“We’ve heard from spouses who’ve lost the loves of their lives to unnecessary traffic violence,” he said Tuesday. “We’ve heard from all parts of the city and all walks of life, and I think the common thread is love for community, love for their city and a deep belief that things can and should be better.”
Advocates say projects like high-visibility crosswalks, crosswalk countdowns and audible pedestrian signals would cost about $100,000 per intersection.
