Yesterday, I headed out with my colleague Malena to Guerrero Street where SFMTA workers were busy installing pedestrian safety improvements at dangerous intersections. And we had donuts and coffee in-hand!
We were excited to watch workers in action at Guerrero and 15th adding a trifecta of safe streets upgrades to better protect pedestrians:
- Protected daylighting. Daylighting, which removes parking around the intersection, reduces crashes by up to 30% by creating clear sight lines. By putting in paint and posts to keep this space off-limits to illegal parking, it’s next-level for safety.
- Turn calming. The upgrade includes a rubber bumper that’s placed strategically so that drivers have to navigate it while turning. This keeps drivers going slow around the corner – and slow is crucial in reducing the chances and severity of crashes. In New York City, intersections with left turn calming have seen a 20% decrease in pedestrian injuries.
- Pedestrian safety zones. This paint and posts that curve around the corner create a buffer between people and vehicles – plus shorten the crossing distance. Drivers typically make turns half as slowly when there’s a pedestrian safety zone (or concrete ‘bulbout’/sidewalk extension).
We gave the hardworking folks from the SFMTA Paint Shop and the SFMTA Sign Shop coffee and donuts – and shared our sincere gratitude for adding these lifesaving solutions that make our city safer for pedestrians (and everyone!).
The intersections that the SFMTA workers are upgrading on Guerrero Street are some of the 900 ‘high-injury’ intersections that the SFMTA is bringing pedestrian safety fixes to by December 2024 – a crucial Vision Zero commitment.
Walk SF continues to monitor the SFMTA’s progress on this commitment, and we hope to celebrate this milestone with the City and all of you by December 2024.
The post Thank you SFMTA workers for fixing dangerous intersections! appeared first on Walk San Francisco.