District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) today announced that Ocean Avenue from Geneva Avenue to Victoria Street and from Junipero Serra Boulevard to 19th Avenue will be a 20-mph zone this week. This speed limit reduction, implemented by the SFMTA, is part of a larger effort to reduce speeds in key zones and promote safety across San Francisco.
“I am excited for the work ahead and am glad that Ocean Avenue is being given dedicated 20 MPH signs along the corridor!” said Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “We must use every tool at our disposal to achieve safety for all modes and types of travel in order to successfully achieve our Vision Zero goals.”
Under new state legislation that came into effect in January 2022, California cities were granted authority to lower speeds by 5 mph in business activity districts—corridors where at least half of the uses are retail or commercial. San Francisco has moved quickly to implement these safer speed zones across the city. Ocean Avenue is the seventh 20-mph corridor implemented so far this year; the six others include:
- San Bruno Avenue, from Silver to Paul avenues: Implemented January 2022
- Polk Street, from Filbert to Sutter streets: Implemented January 2022
- 24th Street, from Diamond to Chattanooga streets and from Valencia Street to San Bruno Avenue: Implemented February 2022
- Haight Street, from Stanyan Street to Central Avenue and from Webster to Steiner streets: Implemented February 2022
- Fillmore Street, from Chestnut to Union streets and from Jackson to McAllister streets: Implemented March 2022
- Valencia Street, from Cesar Chavez to Market streets: Implemented March 2022
Recently, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) allocated $750,000 in Proposition K sales tax funds to the SFMTA to implement additional speed limit reductions on as many as 46 other commercial corridors. Following legislation, implementation could happen as early as Summer 2022.
“We know that speed is the leading cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco,” said Tom Maguire, SFMTA Director of Streets. “Slowing speeds is the single most effective tool to reach our goal of zero deaths on our streets.”
Reducing speeds is an essential part of San Francisco’s work toward Vision Zero—ending traffic-related deaths and reducing severe injuries. Lowering speeds, even by 5 mph, can mean the difference in whether or not someone survives a crash. As San Francisco introduces lower speed limits across the city, the SFMTA is accompanying this work with design and engineering changes to our streets, along with public education campaigns, to encourage safer speeds and reduce conflicts.
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