A pedestrian struck by a vehicle at Anza Street and Arguello Boulevard in San Francisco's Richmond District died at a hospital, and the driver stayed at the scene to cooperate with investigators. The collision happened around 2:08 p.m. on Monday, according to an SFPD news release reported by SFGate, which said the crash was assigned SFPD Case #260-569-018 and turned over to the department's Traffic Collision Investigations Unit.
Mayor Daniel Lurie
posted a statement Tuesday saying he was “deeply saddened by the death of a pedestrian following yesterday's collision at Anza Street and Arguello Boulevard,” adding that his “thoughts are with his family and loved ones.” The mayor wrote that “street safety is public safety, and every San Franciscan should be able to walk through our neighborhoods,” and said he plans to keep working to make city streets safer and to prevent similar tragedies. His post did not include the operational details later confirmed by
SFGate
, including the time of the crash and the driver's cooperation with police.
A Corridor City Officials Already Flagged as Dangerous
The stretch of Arguello Boulevard north of Geary Boulevard remained on San Francisco's High Injury Network even after earlier safety treatments removed other portions of the road from that list, according to SFMTA. The agency has said persistent severe crash risks kept that segment on the map. Just this past March, Mayor Lurie and SFMTA released an updated 2024 High Injury Network map showing that roughly 13% of the city's street miles account for 74% of all severe and fatal collisions citywide, per the San Francisco Standard.
The Anza corridor has already seen targeted engineering work. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority and SFMTA completed the Anza Street Bike Lanes project in June 2022, installing 1.5 miles of dedicated bike lanes and reviewing crash history along Anza from 26th Avenue to Arguello Boulevard, the SFCTA noted. The fatality occurred at Anza and Arguello. Separately, transportation officials continued to designate a stretch of Arguello north of Geary as especially hazardous.
Arguello's History of High-Profile Fatalities
Monday's death adds to a troubling pattern along Arguello Boulevard. USA Cycling Masters national champion Ethan Boyes was fatally struck by a driver on Arguello Boulevard in the Presidio on April 4, 2023, SFGATE reported. Hoodline reported that a police report suggested the driver may have been intoxicated in a 2023 story on the fatal Presidio crash.
City Safety Projects Elsewhere
Nearby streets have shown that this kind of engineering can work. SFMTA reported in March that completed quick-build safety projects cut injury collisions by 64% on California Street between 18th Avenue and Arguello Boulevard, and by 53% on Fulton Street between Arguello and the Great Highway, compared with 2014 levels.
A Mixed Citywide Safety Picture
Monday's death on Arguello lands on a corridor that has resisted a full fix despite years of targeted investment.
