San Francisco officials claim progress being made in improving West Portal traffic safety
In San Francisco, city leaders on Friday said that they are making progress on a plan to improve traffic safety in the West Portal neighborhood.
The street changes are aimed at slowing traffic after a deadly accident last spring that killed a family of four.
The tragic crash occurred on March 16 while the family was headed to the San Francisco Zoo, waiting at a West Portal bus stop at Ulloa Street and Lennox Way.
An SUV driven by Mary Fong Lau, who was 78 at the time of the crash, was headed east on Ulloa about 12:13 p.m. when the vehicle crashed into the bus stop.
Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, and his 2-year-old son Joaquin died at the scene. The mother, Matilde Ramos Pinto, and infant Caue Ramos Pinto de Oliveira were hospitalized. The mother died of her injuries the next day and the baby succumbed March 20.
SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced in early July that Lau would face four charges of felony vehicular manslaughter.
While the terrible accident left the neighborhood in shock, the plan to reduce traffic in the area has faced pushback from merchants worried about the impact on their businesses.
The initial plan proposed a number of changes to the intersections of West Portal Avenue, Ulloa Street, Lenox Way and Claremont Boulevard, including the removal of up to eight parking spaces, a number of left-turn restrictions and a restriction at the intersection of Ulloa Street and West Portal Avenue that would require private vehicles headed east on Ulloa to turn onto West Portal.
On Friday, Mayor London Breed made a point of thanking the local community for offering feedback.
"The city may not always get it right. And it is because of folks who are willing to get involved and provide feedback and to push us more and more is how we arrive to moment like we are today," said Breed.
In the meantime, the San Francisco Chronicle cited an eyewitness account in court records that suggested Lau told witnesses she had accidentally mixed up the gas and break pedals moments before the fatal collision.
She entered a not guilty plea to the charges back in July.