Senior Coffee Hour

​In trying to search for pedestrian safety improvements along Kearny Street, we sought out those who are both most knowledgable and at risk: seniors. Urban Institute fellows went to the I-Hotel Senior Housing, which is located on Kearny St and Jackson St.,  this past week to host a focus group. My group created a map of the street, complete with pictures, in order to collect the first hand recollections and stories from the seniors. Many of the seniors I talked to had opinions about the safety conditions on the street right outside their house. One senior even said that we should fix all the streets since they are all bad. A major theme that many seniors echoed were the dangerous right turns by cars that just barely miss the seniors. They also suggested longer crossing times as it is hard for many of them to cross the street in time. All the seniors were very vocal about the safety surrounding their house. One of the seniors I spoke to was a taxi driver and reflected on his aggressive driving style of the past. Chiming in, another senior added that she, too, had an aggressive driving style that much matched the style of drivers now; she did not care about the seniors crossing, sometimes even speeding up as to inch the seniors forward quicker. Now being a senior herself, she understands both the mentalities of drivers and those of pedestrians and hopes that more drivers can be respectful and cognizant of the needs of the community