San Francisco’s Adds 13 More Slow Streets
The City of San Francisco announced that it will add 13 more streets to those already closed due to the success of its implementation of the “Slow Streets” program. The idea originated in Oakland when the city closed 4.5 miles of its neighborhood through streets on April 11, 2020.
A month and a half later, the movement has spread across the country as city officials see the instant benefits, and people around the closed streets seem to enjoy the newly opened space.
In San Francisco, the city has announced the following additions:
- 20th Street, from Valencia to Potrero
- 23rd Avenue, from Lake to Cabrillo
- Chenery, from Elk to Brompton
- Excelsior, from London to Prague
- Golden Gate Avenue, from Masonic to Divisadero
- Jarboe, from Moultrie to Peralta
- Lane, from 3rd Street to Oakdale
- Lombard, from Jones to Stockton
- Mariposa, from Kansas to Texas
- Sanchez, from 23rd to 30th
- Shotwell, from 14th Street to Cesar Chavez
- Somerset, from Silver to Woolsey
- Stockton, from Bay to Lombard
New Requests
After the earlier opening in the city, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency received over 1,300 requests from residents in neighborhoods all over the city. They compiled a list that had at the top in terms of most requests, Sanchez Street, Shotwell Street, Chenery Street, and Golden Gate Avenue.
Others were added based on requests and feasibility. There is no reported timeline for the streets’ closures, but if past experience is any indication, the wait will be worth it for locals.
Courtney E. Martin, a resident and beneficiary of the program, reported for Curbed recently about the Oakland program.
“‘Slow streets,’ overnight, transformed our family life and the lives of our neighbors,” she writes. “We had struggled to find a place to teach our daughter to ride her bike up until this point. It always seemed like such a production. Easier to just scoot along the sidewalk and put it off. But the minute the streets opened up, we got our helmets on and headed out. About an hour later, we had a bike rider on our hands. I’ve heard similar stories from so many parents across Oakland.”