Tell SFMTA we want a second paddle on Slow Lake Street!
Over a year ago we celebrated Lake Street becoming a permanent part of the Slow Streets network in San Francisco. People enjoy Slow Lake every day to bike to work or school, exercise, walk with dogs, and gather with neighbors.
But it came with a twist: the city installed an unexpected and deficient design—leaving out the second “paddle” that every similar Slow Street has.
Recent measurement shows that average weekday car volume now exceeds 2,000 cars a day with 80% of vehicles traveling faster than 15 mph. This is more than double the SFMTA’s own rules of no more than 1,000 cars per day and 50% of cars must travel 15 mph or less. The bad design is undermining Slow Lake.
Other Slow Streets such as Slow Page, Slow Cabrillo, Slow Clay, and Slow 23rd have two purple “Slow Street” paddles per lane. The paddles effectively reduce car traffic and deter speeding. The city has never explained why Lake didn’t receive the second paddle shown in planning documents.
Friends of Slow Lake has sent a letter to SFMTA asking for the same traffic-calming infrastructure as other Slow Streets. You can read our letter here. The SFMTA responded here with proposed signage and stencils. But we have seen drivers ignore existing signage on this street.
The only way to truly make the street safe for all is by installing the same traffic-calming measures implemented on other Slow Streets. Adding a second paddle to Slow Lake Street intersections is a low-cost, low-effort way for the city to calm traffic on Slow Lake.
UPDATED 1/26/2024: In our recent communication with SFMTA, we emphasized that installing a second paddle represents the most financially efficient solution for reducing speeds and deterring through traffic, surpassing the effectiveness of stencils and signage. Read it here.
We need your help
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There are a variety of things we need help with, and getting involved is a great way to meet the other inclusive, positive, and dedicated folks behind Friends of Slow Lake.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions—or have other ways you can help—please reply to this email or send us an email at SlowLakeStreet@gmail.com.
