The People’s Slow Streets

SF Parks Alliance supports a permanent and expanded citywide network of Slow Streets. 

In the early days of the pandemic, San Franciscans needed more space for safe recreation. Sandbags and temporary signs discouraged cut-through traffic on certain residential streets, and pedestrians were encouraged to enter the roadway. Kids could now safely play outside their front door. Families could ride bikes together to the park or the store. Art and music flourished in communal spaces. Neighbors formed stronger communities. We called these spaces Slow Streets.

In the two years since, we’ve had lively debates around the future of these hastily assembled community spaces. SFMTA ran surveys, open houses, and studies, which showed Slow Streets’ popularity among locals. Most recently, JFK Promenade was cemented by voters in a landslide victory. It’s clear that San Franciscans want more from their public spaces. On December 6, 2022, the SFMTA Board will consider plans for the future of Slow Streets. 

To ensure San Franciscan’s voices are heard, a coalition of advocates – ourselves included – rolled up our sleeves, put our heads together, and made the People’s Slow Streets, a plan to make Slow Streets more effective. The plan centers around three ideas: Building on Success, Expanding with Equity, and Connecting the Network. Once existing Slow Streets have been made permanent, SFMTA must collect and use data to improve and protect them. To grow the program, community led pilot projects should ensure that resources are shared equitably across the city. Finally, Slow Streets should be a connected web of routes that safely and seamlessly links neighborhoods, amenities and public spaces.

This vision, of an equitable and interconnected web of Slow Streets, would expand upon the City’s commitment of making sure that every San Franciscan is within a 10-minute walk of a park. It would ensure that residents not only have access to a park, but all parks, and all sorts of other community amenities too. To illustrate this idea, we partnered with designer Abe Bingham to create the ‘Streamline map’, plotting active transportation routes that trace San Francisco’s valleys and ridges. It reveals what a future citywide network of Slow Streets might look like.

There couldn’t be a better time to reimagine how we use our streets. Projects like the Embarcadero, Hayes Valley’s Patricia’s Green, and JFK Promenade show that San Franciscans want more from their public spaces. As the SFMTA Board considers the future of the Slow Streets program, know that your voice matters. If you are inspired by this vision for our streets, write to the SFMTA Board and let them know.

Make your voice heard!

Click here to write to the SFMTA Board about your support for the People’s Slow Streets. We started a draft that you can make your own and send with one click.

Resources

• SF Parks Alliance works with local residents to plan events, organize neighbors, initiate art projects, and add greening to Slow Streets.
• Slow Street Mayor highlight: Page Slow Street
• Slow Streets meet the city’s Green Connections aims
• Up to 70% of survey respondents agree that Slow Streets improve safety and the overall experience of a street
• The congestion impact on surrounding streets is negligible
• Collisions between pedestrians and vehicles on Slow Streets have decreased by 36%
• SFMTA’s Climate Action Plan
• SFMTA’s Active Communities Plan
• Peer examples: Barcelona’s Superblocks; Britain’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods; School Streets