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Board of Supervisors urges stepped-up enforcement, hearings after string of pedestrian deaths; members call for review of rideshare rules
Summary
After a series of recent pedestrian fatalities across the city, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors called for stronger enforcement, accelerated street-safety projects and hearings that will include police oversight and scrutiny of emerging rideshare services.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday responded to a string of recent pedestrian deaths by asking city agencies to accelerate physical street-safety work, increase traffic enforcement and hold hearings that will examine law enforcement and private-sector practices tied to the crashes.
The call to act followed testimony from several supervisors and family members of victims — including the families of Sophia Liu, Donald Yazzie and Isabel Huey — and from taxi drivers and community members who urged the city to examine public-safety implications of unregulated for-hire vehicle services.
Supervisor Kim said December 2013 left the city with “a staggering 20 pedestrian deaths,” and asked that the board adjourn in memory of three recent victims in District 6. She said the board must “fully invest and fund the pedestrian strategy” and pursue enforcement measures alongside street redesigns. Supervisor Avalos said pedestrian fatalities were a citywide “epidemic” and urged a zero‑fatalities goal similar to a recent New York City campaign. President Chu and other supervisors asked city departments to accelerate coordinated work.
Supervisor Campos announced a special joint meeting of the Board’s Neighborhood Services and Safety Committee with the Police Commission to discuss enforcement strategies; the clerk’s readout scheduled that meeting for Thursday, Jan. 16 in these chambers. Supervisor Wiener requested an oversight hearing on building and code enforcement to identify bureaucratic bottlenecks that delay safety projects. Multiple supervisors also said they wanted more consistent traffic enforcement as officers are rehired and patrol strength grows.
Public commenters — including multiple taxi drivers and representatives of taxi companies — urged expanded city oversight of app-based ride services after a New Year’s‑Eve crash in the Tenderloin that killed a 7‑year‑old girl, identified in testimony as Sophia Liu. Taxi drivers said the collision highlighted gaps in insurance and enforcement for vehicles operating like taxis but not complying with the city’s and state’s for‑hire rules. Several speakers asked the board to convene hearings specifically to examine rideshare company practices and corporate responsibility.
Board members stopped short of adopting new regulations in the meeting but set a path for follow-up: a Jan. 16 joint meeting with the Police Commission to focus on enforcement, and multiple supervisors signaled they would pursue hearings that could include the Municipal Transportation Agency, the Police Department and other city entities. Supervisors also said they will press for faster delivery of physical safety improvements funded in recent years and for better intra‑departmental coordination to prevent delays and watered‑down projects.
The board’s discussion separated three distinct policy threads: (1) accelerating physical street redesigns and capital projects, (2) increasing traffic enforcement and driver education, and (3) examining regulatory and insurance gaps around app‑based for‑hire services. Several supervisors urged the board to pursue all three tracks in parallel.
The board took no ordinance or emergency regulatory vote on rideshare companies or on enforcement at the meeting; instead, supervisors used introductions and committee scheduling to ensure further review. Supervisors and public speakers repeatedly emphasized the preventable nature of the recent collisions and pressed for specific follow‑up at the upcoming joint hearing.
Moving forward, the board will host the joint Neighborhood Services and Safety Committee/Police Commission meeting on Jan. 16 to focus on enforcement; supervisors signaled additional oversight hearings will be scheduled to address implementation, insurance and corporate accountability issues related to app‑based for‑hire services.
Ending: Supervisors said they will pursue hearings and interagency coordination before proposing regulatory or legislative changes to city law and emphasized that enforcement, physical street improvements and scrutiny of for‑hire platforms are complementary steps that must proceed together.
