SFMTA Will Make Safety Changes On Dangerous Howard Street Intersection
Safety officials in San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) recently announced they will change the bike lanes at the intersection of Howard Street and Van Ness Avenue. Local authorities hope these changes will improve visibility for both drivers and cyclists riding on these streets.
This announcement comes after a major crash at the Howard-Van Ness intersection killed one cyclist on September 13, 2018. In response to this crash, bicyclist safety advocates organized numerous protests and demanded safety changes to the area.
At the SFMTA’s latest meeting, Taylor Ahlgren, a cyclist who witnessed the September 13th crash, claimed that the city’s poor street planning was the root cause of many SF cyclist fatalities. In particular, Ahlgren noted how cars parked on crosswalks made it difficult for motorists to see cyclists.
After looking over traffic data in the area, the SFMTA announced they would get rid of parking spaces on the south side of Howard and South Ness streets. Not only will this help with visibility issues, it will also allow authorities to put safety striping on the roadways.
If all goes according to plan, these changes could be put into place before the month of October.
San Francisco has also been working with the Swedish safety initiative Vision Zero to reduce all traffic fatalities. Thanks in large part to San Francisco’s partnership with Vision Zero, the city’s 2017 traffic fatality figures were the lowest since 1915.
To find out more about Vision Zero SF’s progress, check out this official webpage: http://visionzerosf.org/.