Sacramento vigil held to honor pedestrian, cyclists killed by cars in 2024
SACRAMENTO — Dozens gathered Thursday around 32 orange safety cones in Downtown Sacramento, one for each person who lost their lives within the city limits in 2024 after being hit by a vehicle.
Slow Down Sacramento wants to make this vigil a yearly event to humanize and mourn the lives lost.
"The crisis is disproportionate to the rest of California too, we are really per capita one of the most dangerous streets for people on our roads," said organization founder Isaac Gonzalez.
Gonzalez founded Slow Down Sacramento in response to the growing crisis of pedestrian deaths and accidents in Sacramento in recent years with the goal of making changes to roadways and hosting educational sessions for people to learn about the dangers.
Alongside elected leaders and advocates were people like Michelle Silva who lost her husband this summer when he was hit by a truck while riding his motorcycle downtown.
"He was my best friend, I'm here advocating so others don't have to feel the same pain that I feel," Silva said. "If we are worse off than LA, then there's a problem."
The city has vowed to tackle this issue that over the last several years reached historic proportions. While 2024 was slightly down from the previous year, it remains above average when compared to other parts of the nation. It's why councilmembers like Vice Mayor Caity Maple helped draft a proposal for a state of emergency declaration in response to the numbers.
"I come here today to hear from the families, to hear from the loved ones of people to really ground myself in their lives and celebrate that but also get to work," Maple said.
The proposal passed a committee in November but still must be voted on by the full city council, which is expected by this spring. The proposal would do a number of things including direct the city manager to fund education efforts and try and raise awareness for the consequences of dangerous driving.
Maple says it will also do something called tactical urbanization, which essentially means changes to the environment and road infrastructure.
"What are the things we can do at intersections that we know are the most dangerous that are quick and easy, quick build projects," Maple said.
In order to make the necessary safety changes, Maple says funding is critical. She will be focused on legislation this year to ensure there is enough backing to carry out the construction projects needed.
