Hot off the presses:

Mayor Lee, SFMTA and Walk SF Announce ... Read More]]> Great news on a central Walk San Francisco campaign! San Francisco is the state’s first big city to do this — who will be next?

Hot off the presses:

Putting up the first new 15-mph sign! Photo courtesy Bryan Goebel, Streetsblog

Mayor Lee, SFMTA and Walk SF Announce New Safer Speed Zones Completed around 181 San Francisco Schools

San Francisco becomes California’s first large city to establish 15-mph school zones citywide

San Francisco—Mayor Edwin M. Lee, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all surface transportation in the city, and Walk San Francisco today announced the completion of new 15-mile-per-hour speed zones around 181 schools. The project, which began last August at a ceremony where Mayor Lee oversaw the installation of the first sign, is part of a comprehensive approach to improving pedestrian safety citywide.

“The children of San Francisco are our most precious resource, and we need to make sure that they feel safe traveling to and from school,” said Mayor Edwin M. Lee. “To help ensure this, I have asked city departments to prioritize actions, such as the new 15 miles per hour school speed limit zones that will have a direct and immediate effect on making our streets safer and more livable for all pedestrians.”

“Walking in San Francisco should be inviting and safe for all residents,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Edward D. Reiskin. “The SFMTA is committed to working with our city partners to ensure that kids can get to their schools safely. We will continue to seek out comprehensive and innovative street improvements for everyone.”

“These school zones will help kids walk to school safely,” said Elizabeth Stampe, Executive Director of Walk San Francisco. “They’ll also calm traffic in neighborhoods throughout the city, making streets more inviting for walking. This is a big step forward for everyone who walks in San Francisco. We applaud the Mayor’s leadership on this, the SFMTA’s quick action to establish the zones, and the Police Department’s commitment to enforcing these new safer speeds.”

Photo by Adrienne Johnson

The 15-mph speed limit signs have gone up around all public and private K-12 schools that are eligible under a 2008 state law, which allows the 15-mph zones on two-lane streets for 500 feet around a school.

“The San Francisco Police Department is committed to making our city’s streets safer, and we’ll be enforcing these 15-mile-per-hour speed zones to do just that,” said Captain Denis F. O’Leary of the San Francisco Police Department.

The Mayor’s Pedestrian Safety Directive, issued in December 2010 under former Mayor Gavin Newsom, includes a specific near-term action item to implement 15 mile-per-hour speed limits at all schools in San Francisco. The change in speed limit is allowed under the California Vehicle Code and a state law, AB 321, which allows local authorities to implement 15 mph speed limit zones within 500 feet of schools when children are present. This will help meet the establish targets for the reduction of pedestrian injuries, a 25 percent reduction in serious and fatal pedestrian injuries by 2016, and a 50 percent reduction by 2021.

“Calming the streets around our schools reduces congestion by making it safer for our students and their parents to choose environmentally friendly ways to get to school,” said Nik Kaestner, SFUSD Director of Sustainability.

Walk SF executive director Elizabeth Stampe talks to kids at Walk to School Day 2011. Photo by Marianne Szeto

One of the most important steps to reducing fatal and serious injuries is designing streets so that motor vehicles travel at speeds that are safe for everyone, including pedestrians. When vehicles are traveling at 30 mph, studies show that pedestrians are six times more likely to die than in collisions with vehicles traveling at 20 mph or less. The prima facie speed limit on San Francisco streets is 25 mph, unless signs are posted to dictate otherwise.

The 15 mph school zone program includes 181 San Francisco schools from K-12 public and private schools and approximately 803 signs. The total cost of the program, $361,700, is covered by local Proposition K sales tax funds and SFMTA operating funds.

The Mayor’s Office and city agencies have undertaken many efforts to reduce driving speed to posted speed limits. These efforts include the installation of speed humps, traffic circles, median islands, curb bulbs, edge lines, road diets, and traffic signal modifications.

TAKE THE SURVEY (5 ... Read More]]>
Green Connections is a project to make it easier to walk to parks and bring nature into the city. You can help design better streets: Want more trees? Less traffic? Better paths to the waterfront? Tell the City what you want to see!

TAKE THE SURVEY  (5 minutes)

There are lots of Green Connections events going on, including:

• Panel discussion with Walk SF, May 23,
  CounterPulse: “What Are Our Streets For?”
• Green Streets, Mean Streets, SOMA Alleys and Gardens, June 16
• Unlikely Habitat, A Tenderloin Swallowtail Tour, July 1

Check out the Walk SF events calendar and the Green Connections page for more info.

So many things to do. Do this first: TAKE THE SURVEY 

The City needs to hear from you.

Save the date for Walk SF’s Member Meeting and Greeting, Thursday Dec. 8 at 6pm at SPUR. RSVP here

Not a member yet? Don’t miss out! Join Walk SF now.

In this edition:

Prop B, which Walk SF supported, passed yesterday with more than the the two-thirds of the vote that it needed.

Prop B authorizes over $70 million for pedestrian safety improvements including wider sidewalks, “road diets” to calm traffic, new curb ramps for wheelchairs and strollers, ... Read More]]> Thanks to everyone who fulfilled their civic duty yesterday!

Prop B, which Walk SF supported, passed yesterday with more than the the two-thirds of the vote that it needed.

Prop B authorizes over $70 million for pedestrian safety improvements including wider sidewalks, “road diets” to calm traffic, new curb ramps for wheelchairs and strollers, and more.

Why a bond? These improvements are exactly the kind of permanent infrastructure investments that are an appropriate use of bond funding. Prop B will make ... Read More]]> Yes on B! Prop B includes over $70 million for pedestrian safety improvements: wider sidewalks, “road diets” to calm traffic, new curb ramps for wheelchairs and strollers, and more.

Why a bond? These improvements are exactly the kind of permanent infrastructure investments that are an appropriate use of bond funding. Prop B will make our streets better for the long term. Walk SF also supports dedicated, ongoing additional funding, of course, but this up-front investment is needed now to make our streets safer and more walkable. Safety shouldn’t wait.

Read the San Francisco Chronicle story on Prop B, with a quote from Walk SF executive director Elizabeth Stampe.

Walk SF’s ballot argument for Prop B:
The City’s dangerous streets put children, people with disabilities, parents with strollers, and seniors at risk. Every year, 800 people are hit by cars in San Francisco. Seniors are four times as likely as others to be killed this way.

Prop B will make the investment we need in safer streets for everyone.

The poor condition of San Francisco’s streets, sidewalks, and crosswalks is a serious problem. Prop B will help fix the most dangerous streets to make them walkable, improve sidewalks and crosswalks, and repair and strengthen stairways and bridges.

Safe, walkable streets help you travel easily and arrive on time. They help neighbors know each other and keep neighborhoods safe from crime. They reduce carbon emissions from driving and support local businesses with foot traffic.

Prop B is a smart investment in the safe, sustainable transportation San Francisco needs. Vote Yes on B.

- Walk San Francisco

More info at the Department of Public Works website. To join the campaign: Like Prop B on Facebook

Be sure to vote on Tuesday November 8!

Note the "1" pasted over the "2" to take the speed limit down 10mph!

Huge step forward today for safer streets!

This morning, Walk San Francisco, Mayor Ed Lee, and city department heads announced an initiative to help kids walk to school: New 15-mile-per-hour speed zones going up ... Read More]]>

Note the "1" pasted over the "2" to take the speed limit down 10mph!

Huge step forward today for safer streets!

This morning, Walk San Francisco, Mayor Ed Lee, and city department heads announced an initiative to help kids walk to school: New 15-mile-per-hour speed zones going up around all city schools this fall.

For Walk San Francisco and all its members, this is a victory in a long campaign. Throughout the year, Walk SF has kept up a drumbeat of attention on pedestrian safety and calmer streets, starting with new speed zones around schools.

Putting up the first new 15-mph sign on 7th Ave near George Peabody School! Photo courtesy Bryan Goebel, Streetsblog

Why? Because speed matters. Just a small reduction in vehicle speed makes the difference between life and death.

These school zones are an important step toward calming traffic throughout the city and helping to reclaim our streets as safe, pleasant public space that we can all enjoy.

San Francisco is the first big city in the state to adopt these 15-mph zones, and Walk SF is looking forward to safer streets and calmer traffic around over 200 schools.

Walk SF is also working with the Police Department and MTA on a clear plan to enforce every single one of these new speed limits, to really make sure they’re effective.

These new speed zones will help create a more safe and sustainable city, helping kids get to school safely and calming traffic in neighborhoods throughout the city.

This is a big step forward for everyone who walks in San Francisco.

From Streets to Parks: Safer, Greener Public Space A forum with San Francisco Mayoral Candidates Moderated by John King, urban design writer for the San Francisco Chronicle Monday, September 12, 2011 6:00 – 8:00pm

We are excited to announce the first step toward 15-mph zones around all San Francisco schools!

The first 100 new school zones have been mapped by the Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA), which has requested funding from ... Read More]]> Help Walk SF make San Francisco the first big city in the state to create safer school zones!

We are excited to announce the first step toward 15-mph zones around all San Francisco schools!

The first 100 new school zones have been mapped by the Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA), which has requested funding from the County Transportation Authority (TA). On June 28, the Authority’s board – also known as the Board of Supervisors – will vote on that request.

Come on out to support safe speeds around SF schools! Or if you can’t make the meeting, email your Supervisor.

TA Board / Board of Supervisors meeting
Tuesday June 28, 11am
City Hall Room 250

And mark your calendar for SFMTA’s public hearing on the locations of the first new school zones:

SFMTA public hearing
Friday July 1, 10am
City Hall Room 416

SFMTA is proposing to fix the one-way block of Haight Street between Octavia and Gough, where Haight meets Market. The proposed project will make conditions safer for pedestrians by improving the three-way Haight-Gough-Market intersection ... Read More]]> Update: see the Streetsblog story

SFMTA is proposing to fix the one-way block of Haight Street between Octavia and Gough, where Haight meets Market. The proposed project will make conditions safer for pedestrians by improving the three-way Haight-Gough-Market intersection and will speed up public transit by allowing buses to travel more directly along Haight, both ways. This is a good example of how our city can live up to its transit-first pedestrian-priority charter!

Support a two-way Haight at the meeting tonight or by emailing britt.tanner[at]sfmta.com.

Monday, June 20
6:15pm Open House
6:30 – 7:30pm Meeting
One South Van Ness (at Market St.), 2nd floor Atrium

Questions? Call SFMTA at 415-701-4685