Dear Mayor and Council members,
Our community needs safer streets now, but the current Slow Streets proposal has important gaps that should be addressed. I encourage you to approve the program tonight , while also giving staff two clear directives to strengthen its impact:
First, if access to the program depends on data, that data needs to be both reliable and relevant. As written, the scoring system limits eligibility to streets with either documented injuries or incomplete and inconsistent speed data. Please direct staff to use accurate speed measurements that better reflect the vehicles posing the highest risk of severe injury or fatality. Streets shouldn’t have to wait for collisions to occur before qualifying for safety improvements. Alternatively, allow other reasonable ways to demonstrate need.
Second, move forward with a pilot immediately. A 90-day, low-cost quick-build pilot—starting with the Allied Arts plan that SFMTA has already validated over five years—would allow the City to act quickly while learning in real time.
A plan with these gaps won’t deliver the level of safety our children, residents, and neighborhoods deserve. Please approve Item H-2 with these improvements in place.
Thank you,
Tiffany van Londen
Allied Arts Neighbor
