One year ago, the Slow Streets program was announced in San Francisco, and within days, several streets around the city received the treatment we’ve become familiar with: sandbags holding down barricades with signs that have a biking/walking symbol and read “ROAD CLOSED TO THROUGH TRAFFIC.”
We know these barricades aren’t enough. In order for the program to truly be successful, we need high-quality, permanent designs that slow down drivers and deter through traffic. That’s where you come in: Your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is hosting design workshops to get your ideas of what you want to see.
The SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has now implemented nearly 30 Slow Streets across the city, and now that this program has been embraced by so many neighborhoods, we are pushing them to make the program permanent. However, people who love the program are seeing that barricades, sandbags, and the new plastic posts and signs aren’t working. If we want to see this program succeed, we must design streets so that drivers really slow down and only drive on Slow Streets if they are local traffic.
With similar programs in other cities, San Francisco has a lot to learn and we have many designs we can borrow from. We’ve also seen locally how neighbors like Anthony and Jessica have become stewards of Slow Streets in San Francisco. It’s time to bring those ideas in and make Slow Streets work for us.
If you’re ready to design Slow Streets and make sure we’re putting people first, come to these workshops to learn more and advocate for what you want your streets to look like. RSVP today.
