SAN FRANCISCO—On May 16, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced the addition of 13 new corridors to their Slow Streets program. Over 1,300 suggestions from a survey completed by the city’s residents influenced the selection.
“We heard broad support of the program from many residents and businesses, and we are pleased to announce the following future Slow Streets corridors,” the SFMTA stated. The new streets are listed below:
- 20th Street, from Valencia to Potrero
- 23rd Avenue, from Lake to Cabrillo
- Chenery, from Elk to Brompton
- Excelsior, from London to Prague
- Golden Gate Avenue, from Masonic to Divisadero
- Jarboe, from Moultrie to Peralta
- Lane, from 3rd Street to Oakdale
- Lombard, from Jones to Stockton
- Mariposa, from Kansas to Texas
- Sanchez, from 23rd to 30th
- Shotwell, from 14th Street to Cesar Chavez
- Somerset, from Silver to Woolsey
- Stockton, from Bay to Lombard
A map of SFMTA’s Slow Streets corridors was also posted. On the map, implemented streets for the program are marked red and proposed streets are in blue.
In the first phase, a total of 20 lane miles make up the Slow Streets network. It will expand to 34 lane miles after modifications to the new corridors are in place. The program was designed to limit through traffic on certain residential streets to give pedestrians and bicyclists a shared space. The SFMTA’s goal is to increase safety for these groups by providing an alternative to traveling on roads in response to crowded sidewalks. Slow Streets is one of the city’s efforts to maintain social distancing. Streets in the program will have temporary signs and cones to divert traffic and slow down speeds. Residents and businesses will not lose access to their driveways and deliveries. Signs for current health orders and social distancing will also be visible on site.
“Sign shop working full tilt on new signs, and engineers working overtime planning new streets in new neighborhoods. Stay tuned,” said Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin via social media on May 20. Tumlin supervises the Municipal Railway, parking, traffic engineering, pedestrian planning, bicycle implementation, accessibility, and taxi regulation.
Tumlin thanked San Francisco District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen in a post for helping SFMTA identify Shotwell for Slow Streets. “It’s already well used only 12 hours in,” Tumlin said.
