'Rebel' roadwork: Activists change intersection where 4-year-old killed near Oracle Park in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – One week after a 4-year-old girl was fatally struck by a driver at a busy San Francisco intersection, activists performed their own roadwork, saying the city is taking too long to make the intersection safer.

The group "Safe Street Rebel" said they closed one of the two southbound right turn lanes from 4th Street onto King Street, which leads to an onramp of Interstate Highway 280. On Tuesday night, activists posted pictures and video of themselves installing barriers and closing the lane.

Construction appeared to take place following a vigil held at the intersection where the girl was killed a week earlier.

"Today at the vigil, SFMTA said it would take 3 weeks to do a "quick build" to make the intersection safer. That's too long to wait. So we did our own quick build tonight and closed one of the turn lanes," the group said on X, formerly Twitter.

"If this city really cared about pedestrian safety, this would have been done the day after the killing," the group went on to say. "We don't need studies to do what we know saves lives. We don't need platitudes from city officials (no matter how heartfelt). We need concrete action and we need it now."

The city has yet to provide a direct response to the installation. Their previous comments emphasized their commitment to investigating the tragic crash and proposed changes to enhance safety. 

These changes include the removal of a southbound right-turn lane from 4th Street onto King Street and altering the traffic signal for improved driver awareness.

Yet, street safety advocates argue that these measures are insufficient. 

"We want our intersections to be safe. That if I'm blind, it's not only on me to get from sidewalk to sidewalk. The design of the intersection should be safe for me," explained Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk San Francisco.

Barbara Mertins, a resident living near the intersection, expressed her concerns about the dangerous situation at the crosswalk. 

"It's terrible. Devastating. I'm crossing probably twice a day, and I see so many close calls daily," Mertins said. "I think at this point it's the only thing that you can really do to make the city aware that this is incredibly dangerous, costing our lives."

Shortly after 5 p.m. on August 15, the girl was being pushed in a stroller by her father when the driver struck them in the crosswalk. The girl succumbed to her injuries at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital while her father was treated for life-threatening injuries.

Police arrested the driver, identified as 71-year-old Karen Cartagena, on suspicion of failure to yield to pedestrians and vehicular manslaughter.

On Monday, Mayor London Breed announced improvements would be performed at the intersection, including closing one of the turn lanes and changing the light from a green to a flashing yellow arrow. The mayor had also directed the SFMTA to assess dozens of similar intersections across the city with double turn lanes.

The 4th and King intersection is part of the city's "High Injury Network", which consists of 12% of the city's streets but where 68% of the city's severe and fatal collisions occur. Residents have called the intersection, which is next to a busy Caltrain station and near Oracle Park, difficult and dangerous to cross.

Originally being formed to keep the Great Highway open only to pedestrians and bicyclists, Safe Street Rebel has engaged in other transportation-related activism across the city. Last month KPIX reported on members of the group placing orange cones on the hoods of robotaxis, disabling the vehicles.

"We fight for car-free spaces, transit equity, and the end of car dominance," the group says on its website.

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