We need to win serious safety fixes on Lake Merced Boulevard – and can with your help
In the southwest corner of San Francisco, a dangerous street stands out: Lake Merced Boulevard.
Lake Merced Boulevard is well-used by students, families, and park-goers – but it’s also a designated ‘high-injury street’ because of the frequency of traffic crashes. Its wide traffic lanes encourage speeding. Just 14 months ago, 26-year-old Sheria Musyoka was hit and killed while jogging along Lake Merced in a horrific crash, the second fatal collision in just five years on the street.
A chance to win much-needed safety fixes
Over the past year, however, with the support of Supervisor Myrna Melgar, the SFMTA put plans in motion to bring much-needed safety fixes to Lake Merced Boulevard. The Lake Merced Quick-Build Project is focused on improvements that can be completed in a matter of months using materials like paint, posts, signs, and signals.
On Thursday, April 7 from 6:00 – 8:00PM, the SFMTA and District 7 Supervisor’s office will host a virtual town hall where they will share details of proposed safety improvements for Lake Merced Boulevard. The town hall is a great opportunity for people to view the designs, ask questions, and speak up in support of the strongest possible safety improvements. Register for the town hall.
Join us in looking at safety issues and speed on Lake Merced Boulevard
In the weeks following Thursday’s open house, the SFMTA will continue to collect feedback through an online survey. This is a window when we can work to shape the final designs. So we’re heading out on walk audits and a speed survey – and hope you can help! Together we can identify where the proposed designs need to go further.
We’re hosting two ways you can get involved:
Walk Audit: Thursday, April 21 from 5:15 – 6:15PM
We’ll walk sections of Lake Merced Blvd in small groups and evaluate the pedestrian safety of the current multi-use path, sidewalk, and intersection crossings to see if the proposed improvements go far enough. RSVP to get the details to attend one or both walk audits.
Speed Survey: Saturday, April 23 from 10:30AM – 12:00PM
Walk SF will lead a speed survey on Lake Merced Blvd. After a short training, we’ll collect data to better understand where speeds are most dangerous on Lake Merced and where traffic calming measures are most needed. RSVP now to grab your spot.
Bigger safety fixes needed after the ‘Quick Build’ happens
We’re so glad that Lake Merced Boulevard will get a ‘Quick Build’ safety project. There’s no time to waste with bringing life-saving improvements to streets like this. But we know that ‘Quick Build’ projects can only go so far – sometimes a street needs fundamental changes that require concrete (like bulb-outs at corners to slow drivers and shorten crossing distances, speed humps, pedestrian islands).
Last year, Walk SF and representatives from SFSU, the Pomeroy Recreation and Rehabilitation Center, Lakeshore Elementary, and neighbor groups worked with SFMTA staff to develop a comprehensive plan for a safer, more accessible Lake Merced Boulevard. Read the Lake Merced Pedestrian Safety Project Community-Based Transportation Plan.
While we know the identified improvements in the plan will take longer, in part because some will be part of the planned ParkMerced redevelopment, we will also continue to push for these. That’s because every possible solution is needed to prevent more tragedies on Lake Merced Boulevard.
Questions? Contact Brian Haagsman, Vision Zero Organizer, at brian@walksf.org.
