SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Bike Coalition is calling on local leaders to make a greater investment in safe streets infrastructure, as the number of people killed in traffic collisions has hit record highs in recent years.

In a new poster campaign as part of the Families for Safe Streets San Diego initiative, the group is imploring regional lawmakers to implement new programs that will improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety on the county’s roadways.

Some of the changes that the groups want to see include the building of additional bike paths and upgrading intersection traffic signals at some of the most deadly crosswalks in the region.

According to figures from the coalition, nearly 300 people died in 2021 due to traffic collisions in San Diego County — one of the deadliest years in over a decade.

Numerous signs have been posted around the county at locations where a fatal accident occurred between 2014 and 2021, in order to increase visibility for traffic collision deaths.

“These deaths are preventable with proven safer street designs,” the posters read. “Our leaders have the power and knowledge to save lives.”

In February, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s office announced that the City of San Diego was selected for a $680,000 federal grant to help fund efforts to implement new initiatives aiming to address street safety by reducing speed limits in areas with high pedestrian and bike traffic, as well as establish a “quick build” program that will help develop safety projects in historically underserved communities.

Recent efforts to address the condition of San Diego’s streets, however, have largely been focused on closing potholes that have popped up due to the series of storms that have passed through the region.

Earlier this month, Gloria announced an “all hands on deck approach” to address a backlog of requests to fix potholes that have emerged on city streets, with nearly 150 staff working seven days a week.

With the number of potholes that have emerged, city officials told FOX 5 said they are prioritizing filling as many as possible to reduce the risk to public safety before getting to longer term repairs and projects.