Ask Governor Newsom to sign SB 127, the Complete Streets bill
Bill would ensure safe pedestrian conditions on city roads under Caltrans’ purview – but Governor must sign by October 13
Back in January, Walk SF and San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets joined State Senator Scott Wiener at San Francisco General Hospital when he announced his ‘Complete Streets for Active Living’ legislation, SB 127. Now, this bill sits on Governor Newsom’s desk waiting to be signed by October 13.
SB 127 ensure Caltrans creates safe pedestrian conditions on city roads under Caltrans’ purview – and here in San Francisco, that includes notoriously dangerous Sloat Boulevard, 19th Avenue, Van Ness Boulevard, and Lombard Street. We need this bill.
Please take just one minute to call Governor Newsom’s office at (916) 445-2841. Just say your name, where you live, and that you urge him to sign SB 127, the Complete Streets bill. We need to flood his office with these calls!
More about SB 127
Senator Wiener’s bill is directed at how the state’s transportation agency, Caltrans, plans roads so they are safe and accessible for all users (not just cars). This bill makes it imperative that any capital improvement project on a state highway or a local street crossing a state highway includes new pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
Here in San Francisco, this legislation would give much-needed leverage to win safety improvements to several deadly roads that SFMTA cannot fix because these roads are considered highways (and therefore under the purview of Caltrans).
Fixing these deadly roads is essential to end severe and fatal traffic crashes in our city, and another tool in our toolbox to get to Vision Zero, which is why we strongly support Wiener’s legislation. It has been very difficult to get traction on these streets in terms of pedestrian safety improvements because of their ‘state highway’ designation. For too long, these roads have been designed with the sole purpose of moving traffic quickly and as a result have served as death traps for people walking and biking.
What’s even more exciting about this legislation is it would impact all surface streets across the state that carry local traffic and also operate as state highways.
