Following a hearing last Friday, the SFMTA agreed to lower the speed limit along Folsom and Howard Streets. The new limit will affect Howard Street from the Embarcadero to South Van Ness and Folsom Street from 13th Street to the Embarcadero. “Reducing traffic speeds is one of the most powerful ways we can save lives and prevent injuries,” said Walk SF Executive Director Elizabeth Stampe. “It’s an excellent idea. A lot of the community in SoMa has been very concerned about pedestrian safety, and this is a smart step towards making the streets in SoMa safer.”
SF.Streetsblog.org reported on Friday that pedestrian injuries and deaths in South of Market far exceed those of any other area in the city. “The problem has worsened over the years as more people moved to the SoMa district, which has historically been devoted to industrial uses and moving high volumes of car traffic from nearby freeways,” Aaron Bialick wrote. ‘The pair of one-way corridors also serves thousands of daily bicycle commuters as a major route connecting jobs in SoMa.”
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