What new law SB 960 means for seven deadly San Francisco streets
Earlier this month, two pedestrians were killed within 10 days of each other on Lombard Street. Four pedestrians have now been killed on Lombard Street in just the past three years.
Lombard Street is designed to be dangerous. Yet for too long, Lombard – and six other San Francisco streets that are owned and managed by Caltrans – have continued to prioritize moving traffic above the safety of everyone outside the car. It’s no surprise that Park Presidio, Lombard Street,19th Avenue, Skyline Boulevard, Van Ness Avenue, Sloat Boulevard, and San Jose Avenue are all on the “high-injury network”: the 12% of streets where 68% of traffic crashes occur.
Last Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation that has the potential to make these streets safer. SB 960, authored by State Senator Scott Wiener (Walk SF was a co-sponsor of this bill), will put greater accountability in place for Caltrans to make surface roads ‘Complete Streets.’ Complete Streets are designed to protect the most vulnerable street users: people walking, biking, and taking transit. ‘Complete Streets’ elements include accessibility features, better sidewalks and crosswalks, and pedestrian islands.
SB 960 mandates that CalTrans must improve oversight and investment practices when implementing pedestrian and cycling safety infrastructure. This includes setting clear goals and metrics, codifying their commitment to ‘Complete Streets’ in the department’s asset management and state highway system management plans, and streamlining the approval process for urgently-needed safety upgrades.
Does this mean that SB 960 becoming law will immediately change these seven deadly San Francisco streets? No – it will still take advocacy and organizing to see the necessary changes to these streets sooner than later. But this new lever can potentially be a powerful one, and we intend to use it!
Grateful to Senator Wiener for championing SB 960 and thanks to partners
State Senator Scott Wiener saw the need for legislation like SB 960 years ago as a City Supervisor – and authored two previous attempts.
In 2019, when Governor Newsom vetoed a similar bill, his argument was to give Caltrans a chance to reform from the inside. But this didn’t happen – and so Wiener came back again in this legislative session. Walk SF eagerly sponsored and worked hard on this bill over the past months. We’re relieved that Newsom saw this and signed SB 960.
Walk SF is grateful to the advocacy partnership that was critical to the success of SB 960 – including CalBikes, SPUR, Streets for All, KidSafe and Families for Safe Streets chapters throughout California.
