Community Installed Road Diet on Franklin

Friendly Neighborhood Cyclist

• 3 min read
Community Installed Road Diet on Franklin

Earlier today, members of the community came out and installed a one-block road diet on Franklin Street between Green and Union in front of Sherman Elementary School. This is where Andrew Zieman was killed in 2021 and where the city has delayed its promise to narrow the road.

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People in hi-viz vests drilling flex posts into the road

Traffic remained free flowing, with reduced speeds and a large buffer in front of the school. There is no reason this should not be a permanent installation.

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a person pointing a radar gun at traffic moving past a road diet. the meter reads 14-16mph

Afterwards, we held a rally to demand that SFMTA build off our work and extend this road diet from Broadway to Lombard as they promised, if not all the way to Market. Neighbors, parents, and teachers told us how this street has been dangerous for years.

Left: A group of people holding signs demanding safer streets in front of a corner store. Right: People crossing at a crosswalk with a crossing guard. There are people on the corner holding signs demanding safer streets.

SFMTA installed some safety infrastructure after this tragedy, but it wasn't enough: their analysis showed that drivers were still speeding and failing to yield to pedestrians. That's why they promised this road diet last fall, but the city didn't follow through on this promise.

However, there are areas where the project did not yield significant changes: Driver yielding rates: Drivers yielded to pedestrians 60% of the time after these changes were implemented, as opposed to 61% before. Vehicle speeds: Both turning and mid-block speeds remained largely unaffected by the changes. Turning speeds are holding at approximately 10-11 mph, which is below the 15-mph safety threshold set by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and mid-block speeds remain slightly above the 25-mph speed limit. What's Next While the project did improve intersection safety, it was not effective at reducing speeds along Franklin Street. The corridor is on the Vision Zero High-Injury Network – the 12% of streets that account for 68% of severe and fatal traffic collisions. So, in line with our commitment to Vision Zero, we’re taking the following steps to further increase safety on Franklin Street. Road diet: We plan to reduce Franklin from three lanes to two between Broadway and Lombard Street. This lane reduction should reduce mid-block speeds. People driving more slowly are more likely to see people crossing the street and have time to yield to them. Enhanced intersection designs between Market Street and Broadway: The remainder of Franklin Street from Market Street to Broadway will see enhanced intersection designs using the Quick-Build Toolkit — including painted safety zones, slow-turn wedges and daylighting — creating a uniformly safer walking experience along the corridor. Long-term projects: Our team is brainstorming how to incorporate more significant changes with future projects on and around Franklin Street. Improving traffic safety is an evolving process and we're committed to making Franklin Street safe and accessible for everyone. While the project has made some headway, it's clear that more work is needed. We appreciate the community's ongoing involvement and look forward to your continued support as we embark on the next steps.

2024 is the year we’re supposed to achieve Vision Zero, and that requires big action on deadly roads. Since the city wasn’t taking action, the community came together to do the job ourselves and calm this deadly speedway next to an elementary school before it claims another life.

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Traffic flowing past the guerilla road diet, with people on the corner holding signs demanding safer streets

We know the SFMTA is underfunded and understaffed, and that critical improvements are being pushed back because of this lack of resources. Our frustration isn't at the planners, engineers, painters that make our city better, it's at the politicians above them. We’re here to help.

Signs saying "SFMTA: we're here to help" and "Don't back down, SFMTA"

Please join us in demanding better, and send an email to city officials demanding a safer Franklin today. Thanks to Northern Neighbors for setting up the email campaign.

https://bit.ly/saferfranklin

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Safe Street Rebel (@[email protected])
Attached: 1 video Earlier today, members of the community came out and installed a one-block road diet on Franklin Street between Green and Union in front of Sherman Elementary School. This is where Andrew Zieman was killed in 2021 and where the city has reneged on its promise to narrow the road.
SFBA.social

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