FAQs

What is a Slow Street?

Slow Streets are shared spaces between people on foot or bike and cars on residential streets. A street receiving the Slow Street designation restricts street access to only local traffic, emergency vehicles, and mail/delivery vehicles. Signage is also installed to discourage unsafe speeds and warn motorists of the possible presence of people walking, running, or biking in the roadway.

Slow Streets provide an alternative mode of transportation by making walking and biking safer and more comfortable. Additionally, by making the roadway a shared space people are able to better socially distance while using the street for essential travel.

Permanent designation of a Slow Street entails restricting access to Lake Street to only local traffic, emergency vehicles, and mail/delivery vehicles. Current temporary treatments like the Type III barricades would be swapped out with semi-permanent infrastructure like traffic diverters or safe-hit posts creating narrower entryways on the street to discourage through traffic. More Slow Street type signage would also be installed to emphasize the Slow Street designation on Lake Street and encourage safer speeds from vehicles due to the possible presence of pedestrians and bicyclists using the roadway.

Local traffic is defined as vehicles that have an origin or destination on the street (i.e., residents of the street or visitors of those residents). Through traffic is defined as vehicles passing through the street to reach a destination elsewhere.

Isn’t Lake Street already a permanent Slow Street?

The SFMTA Board of Directors voted unanimously to make Lake Street a permanent Slow Street August 3, 2021. There remains opposition, but a majority of residents have demonstrated their support for a permanent Slow Lake Street as the final design details are being determined. Traffic calming measures being considered include signage, speed humps, and traffic diverters.

It’s more important than ever that those of us who love Slow Lake Street share our voices with SFMTA and our supervisors so that this decision isn’t reversed against the desires of Richmond District families and neighbors and those from across the city who rely on Slow Lake to meet their transportation needs.

What are the next steps?

SFMTA staff presents their design to the City Engineer for final approval. Then the final design will be built. Dates TBD.

What can I do to keep it slow?

Join our mailing list for updates and action items, talk to your friends and neighbors, and above all, keep enjoying Slow Lake in person! Please be courteous towards all.

Mailing list: https://bit.ly/3Mhsb9d

Can I drive on Slow Lake?

From the SFMTA: “Slow Streets are corridors designated as shared spaces for pedestrian, bike, scooter, wheelchair, and car traffic. On Slow Streets, vehicles are limited to only local access trips and are encouraged to drive slowly to make the street safer for other users. Slow Streets are NOT full street closures. The signage and materials are intended to limit through traffic and encourage multi-modal, accessible use of the corridors.” - https://www.sfmta.com/reports/about-slow-streets-faqs

On Slow Streets, safety for all users is the goal. That means:

• Travel at slow speeds

• Drivers watch for all road users

• Drivers obey through-traffic restrictions/local access only signage

• Cyclists yield to pedestrians, children, and people with disabilities

• Slow Streets users make space for cars arriving/departing local destinations

• Be kind and considerate to your fellow Slow Streets users!

Motorists are racing down Lake and ignoring the Slow Street signs. What can I do?

Support the implementation of permanent Slow Lake by contacting your Supervisor, Mayor Breed, and the SFMTA (see links below) and ask them to install the traffic calming measures and signage as determined by the SFMTA Slow Street Design Team as soon as possible.

What about pedestrian and bicyclist volumes?

Weekdays saw a 17% increase in pedestrian and a 65% increase in bicyclist volumes. Weekends saw a 31% increase in pedestrian and an 80% increase in bicyclist volumes.

What about enforcement?

We would appreciate greater enforcement, but traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, raised crosswalks,traffic diverters and signage would do a great deal to discourage motorists from speeding.

Why is Lake Street a Slow Street?

Lake Street was established as a residential street in the 1800s, before the invention of the automobile. There was no through traffic until Park Presidio was created in 1939. In 1971 the first bike lanes in San Francisco were created on Lake Street. In 2014 Lake was designated part of the Active Transportation Network included in the San Francisco Climate Action Plan. There is little cross-traffic. Lake is a natural choice for the Slow Street program.

The pandemic was an opportunity to reimagine the use of City streets as places for people of all ages and abilities. In 2020 Lake was made Slow, as well as many other streets in San Francisco and nationwide. Permanent Slow Street status was approved in 2021.

Lake is right next to a park. Why don’t people just recreate there?

Slow Lake is intended as an Alternative Transportation Network for people to get around the City safely without the use of automobiles. There is no equivalent parallel route in the Presidio for bikes or pedestrians.

Why are some people against Slow Lake?

One common complaint is, “I can’t get out of my driveway”. We must all be respectful of one another. Local motorists have the right to use Lake Street, and to freely access their driveways. Once the program is fully implemented we expect a more harmonious use of the street.

Another complaint is that traffic is worse on California Street because of Slow Lake. While California can be congested during rush hour, this is a function of the California Street “road diet” program that changed California from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction between Arguello and 18th Avenue. In fact, the road diet was designed to slow traffic on California to make it safer. Since the road diet was established on California Street in July 2020, there have been 53% fewer collisions: between 2017 and 2019 the was an average of 17 collisions per year, in 2021 there were 8 collisions. Also, the restored Muni bus should improve travel times. See page 21:

https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports-and documents/2022/03/lake_slow_street_evaluation_-_findings_summary_0.pdf

A third complaint is that Lake is more dangerous than before. There is no evidence of this. Injury accidents are actually down on California Street and there have been none on Lake Street. We look forward to permanent Slow Lake implementation with better signage which will create a safer, more equitable environment for all.

What about those that say Slow Lake is “elitist”?

Elitist is defined by Merriam-Webster as “giving special treatment and advantages to wealthy and powerful people”. Slow Streets are the opposite, giving everyone safer, more equitable access to the roadways as part of a greater network of Slow Streets (Clay, 23rd Avenue, etc.). With the street ‘Slow’, local motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and all others now have equal access.

Some cyclists go too fast and are dangerous. What about them?

Cyclists should obey traffic laws and respect drivers and pedestrians. When Slow Lake is fully implemented there will be traffic calming measures for cyclists also.

Some families with strollers and small children that walk so slowly take up the whole street and I can’t get by. What about them?

Even on a Slow Street, small children should always be carefully supervised to ensure they are protected. Slow streets are also new and will take some getting used to. We encourage everyone to be respectful. Pedestrians should be aware of motorists that are merely trying to get to and from their homes, and make way for them to get by safely.

What about emergency vehicles?

Emergency vehicles have full access to Slow Lake. In fact, response times can be improved.

Why not turn it back the way it was?

Whether you believe that we are in the midst of an oil crisis, a climate crisis, a traffic congestion crisis, a pedestrian safety crisis, or a crisis of keeping families in SF—Slow Lake helps on every count. It provides a family-friend corridor that lets people avoid fossil fuel use. It takes cars off the road by giving San Franciscans the comfort to “modeswitch” to biking. It reduces the risk of accidents (for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike) by lowering vehicle volume and speeds.

Slow Lake is part of specific City initiatives. Specifically, it is part of the Vision Zero Alternative Transportation Network as well as the Goal Zero Climate Action Plan. Both initiatives are official San Francisco policy, adopted to make San Francisco a safer and less polluting world-class city.

Links

Mayor London Breed: mayorLondonBreed@sfgov.org

Supervisor Connie Chan: connie.chan@sfgov.org

Supervisor Catherine Stefani: catherine.stefani@sfgov.org

SFMTA Board: mtaBoard@sfmta.com

SFMTA Slow Lake page: https://www.sfmta.com/projects/lake-slow-street

Slow Lake Street Mailing list: https://bit.ly/3Mhsb9d

Slow Lake Street website: https://www.slowlakestreet.com

Vision Zero San Francisco: https://www.visionzerosf.org

Goal Zero Climate Action Plan: https://sfplanning.org/project/san-francisco-climate-action-plan