SF Neighbors Fed Up With Speeding Cars On Cesar Chavez After Hit-And-Run Driver Nearly Kills Dog
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) - Ever since Lila, a beloved neighborhood dog was nearly killed by a hit-and-run driver, neighbors are fed up with fast cars barreling along Cesar Chavez Street, not stopping for people in the clearly marked pedestrian crosswalk.
Neighbor Tara Robinson remembers the day.
"Yulia, her owner, was stopped, waiting for about 10 seconds for the first line of cars and just out of nowhere, she started going and out of nowhere a car hit her dog full on like at 30, 40 mph," said Robinson.
Lila, a Husky mix, was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. She survived and now owner Yulia Zimmerman has taken Lila to Lake Tahoe to recover.
"It's a miracle but Lila is doing really good," said Zimmerman. "I'm sorry it happened. We will fight so this never happens again."
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In 2014, the city recognized Cesar Chavez needed improvements and major safety upgrades were completed transforming the busy street, but safety concerns persist says Robinson
"We've all, we've all had a close call."
The city is aware of the issues.
"We do have a team of engineers that can respond to a certain intersections and we will take another look at that one to see if any improvements are needed but again," says SFMTA spokesperson Erica Kato, but cautions, "We do have competing needs and very limited resources."
There are signal lights one block away in each direction but traffic is heavy here all hours of the day.