Cortland Avenue is both a neighborhood shopping street and a route for drivers cutting across San Francisco’s Bernal Heights. Residents say that mix is putting pedestrians at risk, especially children crossing near the 24-Divisadero bus stop at Folsom Street. On a recent Wednesday morning, a police cruiser cited 10 drivers for failing to stop at the intersection by 9:30 a.m. Residents say drivers frequently speed through the area or try to pass the bus as students make their way across the street. “I’m amazed every day that a child doesn’t die,” said the Rev. Alyson Jacks, a Bernal Heights resident who is calling for stronger safety measures and enforcement. The danger is not limited to the school commute. A hit-and-run driver killed 30-year-old Binod Budhathoki at Cortland and Anderson streets last fall, heightening calls for changes along the avenue. Since the crash, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has painted a double yellow line between Bonview and Folsom streets to discourage drivers from weaving around traffic. The agency also installed flexible posts to keep vehicles out of red-painted crosswalk zones. Police have increased traffic stops, but residents say violations continue. Cortland’s commercial stretch has shops, restaurants, a library and parklets, but the avenue also carries traffic between Mission Street and Bayshore Boulevard. Its slopes can encourage drivers to build speed, residents say, even though the commercial area has a 20 mph limit. Rebecca Kee, a former Paul Revere Elementary School teacher and executive director of the San Francisco Parent Coalition, said she would like to see fewer cars and less parking on Cortland so the street could work better for pedestrians. A temporary car-free Halloween event gave residents a glimpse of that possibility, she said. Some residents favor smaller changes, including brighter crosswalk markings, flashing beacons and planters in curbside spaces. At Cortland and Anderson, neighbors have also set out orange crossing flags that pedestrians can carry while crossing. “It’s sad that it’s the neighbors who had to purchase and put the orange flags there to increase safety,” said Jennifer Joseph, who has lived in Bernal Heights for 30 years. More substantial redesign could mean difficult choices. Cortland has no protected bike lanes, said Claire Amable, advocacy director at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. With limited street space, adding them could require removing parking, a trade-off that would involve merchants and residents. Amable said reducing vehicle speeds should be a priority. District Supervisor Jackie Fielder has proposed concrete islands to make drivers slow down. Fielder also supported the double yellow line after the fatal collision. Residents point to another issue at Cortland and Folsom: the eastbound stop sign sits by a bus stop and can be obscured when a bus pulls in. Drivers attempting to pass the bus may enter the crosswalk while children are crossing. The collision of through-traffic and neighborhood life is visible in small ways, too. Thomas Galicia said his family built a retaining wall in front of their home after a car struck it several years ago. He still sees vehicles scrape the curb as they take bends too quickly. For residents, enforcement and street design are parts of a broader question: whether Cortland should continue to function as a convenient cut-through or be reshaped around the people who live, shop and walk there. They say the immediate need is to make crossings safer before another serious crash.