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New report says pedestrian, cyclist deaths have increased in San Diego since 2014

Circulate San Diego says streets need to be improved faster and cheaper.

SAN DIEGO — A new report just released showed that more pedestrians and cyclists are being killed on the streets of San Diego now than there were 10 years ago.

Circulate San Diego, a group that describes itself as a regional nonprofit think tank, put together the report titled "Vision Zero at Ten Years."  The goal was to reach zero pedestrian fatalities.

"While the City of San Diego has done a good job in improving its plans, it has to do substantially more in implementing those plans more cheaply, more quickly, and with more resources," said Will Moore, Policy Counsel for Circulate San Diego.

According to the report, in 2014 there were 25 pedestrian and cyclist deaths in San Diego. Since 2021, the number of deaths has hovered right around 35.

Moore said the number of deaths in San Diego isn't rising as fast as it is nationally. He said one reason is because cars are bigger and faster. Therefore, a pedestrian or a cyclist is now more likely to die if they are hit by a car.

He said streets need to implement traffic calming measures to get drivers to slow down. 

CBS 8 reached out to Mayor Gloria's office for comment. A spokesperson released the following statement:

“Mayor Gloria’s first four budgets invested tens of millions of dollars in making our streets and pedestrian infrastructure safer and more accessible for all travelers, including pedestrians and cyclists. His first four budgets created a total of 385 miles of bike lanes, including 101 miles of Class IV (separated) lanes. This is well over double the 168 miles of lanes created in the four years prior.

The quality of our infrastructure will remain a priority in coming budgets, and we’ll continue to work with partners like Circulate to make our streets safer.”

Circulate San Diego's goal was to get to zero pedestrian and cyclist fatalities by 2025.

A vigil will be held Sunday at Alice Birney Elementary School in remembrance of those killed by traffic violence. The public is invited to attend.  

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