Skip to main content

Safe Streets 2019 Year End Report

By
Safe Streets 2019 Year End Report
By Victoria Chong

The Results Are In!

Over the course of 2019, the SFMTA implemented a record number of pedestrian, bicycle and traffic calming projects. But our goal is not only to deliver projects, but to make our streets safer and more comfortable for all San Franciscans. SFMTA’s Safe Streets Evaluation Program is sharing  our annual Safe Streets Evaluation Report which takes stock of last year’s progress as well as lessons learned.

People walking under the freeway in the afternoon
Pedestrians and bicyclist using the bike lane and pedestrian walkway along Townsend Street on June 13, 2019

Under the direction of Mayor London Breed, the SFMTA initiated the Vision Zero Quick-Build Program. This program represented reduced barriers for SFMTA to install pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements on the city’s High Injury Network.

Quick-build projects offer opportunities to take community feedback in real time and make design changes as needed. These projects can be put in the ground in as little as 10 percent of the time and cost as our traditional infrastructure projects, such as Masonic Avenue and 2nd Street.

A key part of the quick-build program is evaluating these fast-tracked projects so we can make the adjustments as we learn more; this report reviews some completed quick-build projects such as 7th Street, 6th Street and Taylor Street.

In addition to the quick build projects, we also evaluated the effectiveness of dozens of city-wide safety measures and corridor projects.  

So…How Are We Doing?

Overwhelmingly, quick-builds, traditional corridor projects and citywide countermeasures completed in 2019 provide clear safety benefits:

  • Corridor pedestrian safety projects reduce vehicle speeds and provide improved loading experiences.
  • Proactive, neighborhood-wide traffic calming leads to reduced vehicle speeds on the City’s residential streets.
  • Protected bike facilities decrease blockages of bike lanes, and nearly eliminate mid-block vehicle-bike conflicts such as near-dooring incidents.
  • Separated bike signals keep turning vehicles from causing conflicts with bicyclists in protected lanes.
  • Through our surveying efforts, we heard from community members from different demographic backgrounds. While we have some things to improve on, new and improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities make people feel safer and more comfortable.

Just as importantly, we are also learning what doesn’t work:

  • While providing safety improvements in addition to public realm benefits, large capital streetscape projects have long timelines and high price tags. Large capital projects should be accompanied by quick-build efforts to implement changes as soon as possible.
  • Partially raised bikeways, especially on commercial corridors, have issues such as bike lane blockage – partially raised bikeways do not provide enough of a barrier to deter cars from the bike lane.
  • We need more reporting on equity. While we improved our survey methods and techniques to better represent a wider demographic and socio-economic range of users, our program must go further. We need metrics that specifically measure equity and inclusivity through the process through implementation.

What’s Next?

Given the many changing parts of the social and physical infrastructure in this year,  our pedestrian and bicycle safety efforts in 2020 will need to be evaluated, analyzed, and assessed in very different ways than previous years. We are considering new evaluation goals to understand what works on our streets within the constraints and unique characteristics of the pandemic and the intersecting racial equity movement.



Published July 28, 2020 at 11:05PM
https://ift.tt/3g9mA5f
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reconnecting San Francisco Across Streets and Freeways

By
Reconnecting San Francisco Across Streets and Freeways By With limited space on San Francisco city streets, how can we ensure that current and future transportation options remain accessible and affordable to all? The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), the SFMTA and the San Francisco Planning Department are collaborating through ConnectSF in creating a template for an equitable, sustainable and effective future. Their Streets and Freeways Strategy examines approaches that support San Francisco’s Transit-First , Vision Zero , climate action , and equity goals .  The strategy complements the Transit Investment Strategy released in April 2021. SFMTA staff provided expertise in developing the strategy and is leading the Active Transportation component, exploring ways to build a connected network of bike and pedestrian routes across the city that make biking and walking safe and enjoyable. SFMTA staff from across the agency also developed strategies to ma
Post a Comment
Read more

Chinatown Connects to Muni Metro

By
Chinatown Connects to Muni Metro By Deanna Leo With the completion of Central Subway, customers will be able to ride the T Third Muni Metro all the way from Visitacion Valley to Chinatown. Starting November 19, when Muni Metro riders can first take Central Subway's special weekend service to Chinatown,  prepare to spend the day in Chinatown enjoying all its sights, sounds and flavors. There is so much to explore in the largest Chinatown outside Asia! Tourist attractions include the Dragon’s Gate, Old St. Mary’s Cathedral and Portsmouth Square, the site of San Francisco’s original customs house where today, members of the Chinese community spend the days singing or playing mahjong, a traditional and very popular tile-based game. Fans of Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, can meander the streets of Chinatown searching for the places where her story unfolds. On Wavery Place you can visit the First Baptist Church where the four mothers in the story meet to play mahjong. Muni M
Post a Comment
Read more

Have Feedback on the COVID-19 Muni Temporary Service Plan?

By
Have Feedback on the COVID-19 Muni Temporary Service Plan? By Shalon Rogers In March 2020, due to unprecedented constraints on resources brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the SFMTA had to make significant transit service reductions. As of January 2021, the agency has been able to restore service to a level where 91% of San Franciscans are within a quarter mile of a transit stop. This is reflected in the SFMTA’s current  COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan .   ' COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan Map The SFMTA is committed to ensuring that our programs and services are  compliant with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  and therefore do not have a discriminatory impact based on race, color or national origin. As part of this work, we conducted a Title VI service equity analysis to evaluate the current COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan. The results of this analysis will be presented to the MTA Board of Directors on May 4. The public is invited to attend and provide comments on
Post a Comment
Read more