Last Tuesday, the SFMTA Board voted unanimously in favor of making Page Street a permanent Slow Street and approved the Lake Merced quick-build. These are two big steps forward for safety and alternative transportation in SF!

Since Page Street was a preexisting project before the pandemic, it was not part of the original Slow Street Program that was approved in December 2022. Now, Page is part of the permanent Slow Streets Program. With this approval, Page will receive traffic diversion that requires east- and westbound vehicle traffic on Page Street to turn right onto Divisadero Street in order to better prioritize walking and bicycling. Left turns onto Page from Divisadero will be restricted, reducing delays for Muni and crosstown traffic. At the Board meeting, there were over 40 people who called in to give comments and every single one of them was in favor of Slow Page. We are so excited to see the future of this Slow Street. 

The Lake Merced quick-build is one of the largest quick-builds that the SFMTA has taken on. It will include road narrowing and reallocation to create protected bike lanes, as well as improving pedestrian safety through traffic calming, new paint, wayfinding, upgraded sidewalks, and speed cushions. The project will be completed in five phases since it is so large. In the SFMTA Board meeting, a primary topic of conversation was the community living in RVs along Lake Merced Blvd. Supervisor Melgar’s office and the Coalition on Homelessness have been working together to find safe relocation for the RVs since the quick-build requires the removal of the parking spaces they currently occupy. The SFMTA staff promised to ensure that the parking removal will not be started until a new location is found. 

Construction for Lake Merced is expected to begin sometime this spring. This project is a jumping off point for future improvements to the area — so while this quick-build does not include a continuous protected bike lane, we know that SFMTA is working toward that goal for the future.

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