SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors approved all four slow streets on Tuesday, August 3. The Slow Streets program started as a response to COVID-19 that will remain permanent due to popularity.
The SFMTA’s Slow Streets are designed to limit traffic in certain residential streets and allow people to travel on foot or bicycle. According to the SFMTA, Slow Streets along 12th Avenue, Hearst Avenue, Lyon Street, and SoMa Streets are now in place and active.
These streets have met the following criteria needed to determine if a Slow Street could be extended beyond the pandemic without negative impact:
- The street is a neighborhood or residential street.
- There is support for permanence from the community.
- A local community partner supports the Slow Street.
- The Slow Street is on a corridor consistent with city planning efforts.
- Traffic data shows the Slow Street has not had a negative impact on transportation networks.
Community members indicated an interest in implementing Slow Streets for longer term use after the program started in April 2020, according to the SFMTA. Slow Streets attract people of all neighborhood demographics including children, adults, elderly, and people with disabilities.
Welcoming people to travel on foot, bicycle, wheelchair, scooter, skateboard, and other forms of micro-mobility will support the reopening of San Francisco. Signage and barricades are placed to minimize traffic and prioritize walking and biking.
