This is a public comment given by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition at the San Francisco Health Commission Hearing in regards to DPH staff proposing to fully defund Sunday Streets.
“The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition asks you to restore full funding for Sunday Streets.
Our organization was a part of the coalition that started Sunday Streets over 17 years ago, in collaboration with then-mayor Gavin Newsom and other advocates. The goals for this open streets movement were a more livable San Francisco and greater access to the outdoors and physical activity, particularly in dense neighborhoods that lack public outdoor spaces. Sunday Streets has exceeded the goals for both of those outcomes.
But Sunday Streets does so much more. It boosts foot traffic on commercial corridors. It invites neighbors to get to know one another, interrupting cycles of loneliness that harm public health. And it highlights community vibrancy and encourages residents and visitors to get to know neighborhoods they might not otherwise visit.
When the city comes out to play and celebrate with each other, it creates an unparalleled and invaluable opportunity for the city government to hear from its people. Several departments put Sunday Streets at the center of their outreach strategies, because large groups of people who aren’t rushing to get somewhere are primed to engage in useful conversations that can shape plans and policy.
The city gets all these benefits in neighborhoods across SF for a bargain price of just $216,000 per year. But the value of those benefits in real dollars is far greater. Commercial districts benefit, our air quality benefits, the livability of our city benefits, and the city itself benefits in the form of tax dollars generated and access to its residents.
If San Francisco is a city on the rise, as Mayor Lurie is fond of saying, then all neighborhoods must have the opportunity to rise together. Sunday Streets allows that to happen. We understand that the department is under a lot of pressure to cut funding, but cutting a relatively inexpensive program that so quickly and easily pays back the investment does not make sense. Please fully fund Sunday Streets.”
The next SF Health Commission hearing is scheduled for Monday, February 16th where commissioners will vote to finalize these cuts. Use the link below to submit a public comment to the commissioners before noon the Monday before.
