Traffic Safety in the Bay Area

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side (as San Francisco drivers yield). In a city known for its creativity and eclectic antics, the San Francisco Police have recently taken traffic enforcement to a new height: inflatable chicken costumes. 

A recent exercise, which saw Lt. Jonathan Ozol in an inflatable chicken costume as he crossed busy San Francisco streets, is part of a six month long process to achieve Vision Zero in the city. This movement aims to eliminate preventable traffic incidents by building better and safer streets, educating the public on traffic safety, enforcing traffic law, and adopting pedestrian-forward urban policy. San Francisco adopted Vision Zero as a policy in 2014, and continues to work towards its goals, reducing traffic-related deaths to below 30 a year. Cities across the Bay have also adopted this policy, from San Jose and Fremont to Oakland. This movement is inspired by the Swedish embracement of Vision Zero policy in 1997, which reduced traffic deaths in the country to just two per 100,000 people in three decades.

Currently, Vision Zero is planning to implement 33 new speed cameras in San Francisco’s high injury network, the busiest and most dangerous streets based on years of data. They hope that this will help drivers adhere to the speed limit where it is most important. If you are interested in becoming a part of Vision Zero in San Francisco, you can find their committee here, and events calendar here. They also provide courses and short talks about traffic safety to motorcycle riders (see here) and school-aged children, with their initiative Safe Routes to School.   

This week’s chicken-inspired exercise may seem silly, but it is an important part in ensuring safe streets in San Francisco and across the Bay Area. During the exercise, Lt. Ozol (in an inflatable chicken suit), attempted to cross an SF intersection as a car approached from 200 feet away. If the driver did not yield, he would wave to his colleagues who would pull the driver over. The chicken suit was to give the drivers no excuse to not see him. Ozol noted that he saw a noticeable improvement in driver awareness after these exercises, contributing to the overall safeness in the city. 

So, next time you see a chicken crossing the road in the Bay Area, take it as a reminder to stay aware and keep pedestrians safe.