Seven dangerous locations across San Diego will soon get new safety features including flashing beacons, countdown timers, pedestrian-friendly delayed-green stoplights and crosswalks that aim to boost visibility. The upgrades are part of the city’s 10-year-old Vision Zero campaign, which aims to reduce traffic deaths to zero. Each of the locations had five or more crashes in 2023. The city’s Transportation Department annually studies intersections and street segments with the most crashes involving pedestrians and injuries. Traffic engineering teams are now designing and scheduling the safety improvement projects at these locations, which include five intersections and two street segments. The intersections are Art Street at El Cajon Boulevard; Kurtz and Rosecrans Streets; Miramar Road at Nobel Drive; Briarwood Road and Paradise Valley Roads; and Pacific Highway at Taylor Street. The segments are El Cajon Boulevard from 63rd Street to Choctaw Drive and Market Street between 26th and 27th Streets. In addition to safety upgrades, the locations may get new speed limit signs and additional red curbs to comply with a new state law prohibiting parking within 20 feet of an intersection or crosswalk. Some of the locations are part of a new city analysis of fatal crashes that tries to identify traits common to the intersections where they happen and to determine what kinds of changes can be made. The upgrades will be completed by a new city “quick build” team that will allow San Diego to make changes to dangerous intersections more quickly than hiring an outside contractor. “Our engineers and field operations teams are working hand in hand to ensure these safety upgrades are implemented to maximize safety for all users,” said Transportation Director Bethany Bezak. “Being able to carry out these projects with our in-house teams is important so the work can be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.” Some of the upgrades will require coordination with other agencies including the Metropolitan Transit System and the North County Transit District. Vision Zero hasn’t reduced injury crashes or fatalities since it was launched in 2015. But instead of giving up, city officials said they plan to spend more money on safety features and other initiatives. That includes a plan to reduce speed limits this year in pedestrian-heavy business districts and areas designated as safety corridors because they are used by many walkers, cyclists or vulnerable people like seniors. Go to sandiego.gov/VisionZero to learn more.