biking in the city
The Walkup Melodia law firm in San Francisco specializes in prosecuting cases on behalf of injured bicyclists, both on urban streets and rural roadways.
The firm is a supporter of the San Francisco bicycle coalition, and endorses the bicycle coalition’s concerns about the safety of cyclists on San Francisco’s city streets. The SF Bicycle Coalition recently wrote an open letter calling for San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to increase the safety of SoMA streets.
The catalyst for the cycling advocacy group’s letter is the death of 34-year-old Amelie Le Moullac, who was killed when she was run over by a trucker near Folsom and 6th Street.
Cycling safety advocates note that Amelie Le Moullac was the third biker to be killed this year in San Francisco.
Each death involved a large truck driver and authorities have reportedly failed to cite any of the truck drivers involved.
“We are urging you, along with Supervisor Jane Kim and the SF Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors, to take action to ensure that no more deaths occur on the streets of SoMa,” wrote Leah Shahum, the executive director of the SF Bike Coalition.
The coalition outlined several ways that SoMa can be made safer for cyclists, including:
- Adding a green bicycling lane to Folsom
- Creating a physically-separated bicycle lane
- Require street safety training for truckers
- Require trucks to have convex mirrors to increase visibility
“Mayor Lee, you have the tools and power to prevent more tragedy on our streets,” Shahum wrote. “It is not acceptable to sit by while San Franciscans are killed on SoMa streets when you have the power to prevent these deaths.”
Walkup, Melodia is currently prosecuting a number of serious injury cases involving cyclists in on San Francisco streets. It believes that San Francisco safer place for cyclists is a reasonable and achievable goal.
