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Making the City’s Pedestrian Strategy a Reality

 In Public Policy

As SFMTA Director Ramos said at the agency’s Monday, January 29 meeting, every pedestrian death is a tragedy that is unimaginable for the family — and those deaths could have been prevented. The mayor’s goal is to cut these in half. To succeed will take political will and funding.

The SFMTA’s strategic plan states that “infrastructure support for walking is cost-effective,” — but over and over again Walk San Francisco heard how little the city is spending on pedestrian improvements.

PROJECTS FOR BETTER WALKING MAKE UP BARELY MORE THAN 1% OF THE SFMTA’S CAPITAL BUDGET  

That’s a ridiculously small amount, when about 20% of trips are entirely made by walking, and 35% involve significant walking. Ultimately, every trip begins and ends with walking. Funding needs to increase, to better reflect the fact that pedestrian improvements benefit everyone — 100% of San Francisco’s residents and workers.

The Pedestrian Strategy takes a big step forward with clear metrics and timelines. With these, it creates accountability to reduce serious or fatal pedestrian injuries through a combination of physical improvements and strategic police enforcement. Walk SF applauds all the hard work that went into the plan. Specifically, the Pedestrian Strategy’s key deliverable: an ambitious commitment to fix 5 miles of the most dangerous streets a year, to meet the Mayor’s goal of cutting pedestrian injuries in half by 2021.  Learn more about the plan here.

To do this, the city can do two things: one, harness current repaving and transit effectiveness projects that don’t yet include pedestrian improvements, and two, expand the arterial traffic-calming program using simple tools to bring down speeds and make our widest, fastest streets safer.

Walk SF will be monitoring the implementation of the plan closely and providing updates on its progress.

New York and Chicago have already released their plans, now San Francisco is on the verge of taking a leadership role as well by making the most sustainable mode of transportation — walking — safe and comfortable for your family, your friends and yourself…and you can help make the plan a reality!

Ensure Walk SF’s voice for safer streets and a more walkable, livable city is heard – JOIN OR RENEW TODAY.