Transit Safety for the Richmond

All Richmond District residents deserve safe and accessible pedestrian walkway and bike connectivity. As supervisor, one of my roles is to demand city departments to deliver city services in the Richmond, calling on departments to be accountable and responsive to our community’s needs, which includes access to safe and accessible streets for various modes of transportation.

This is why I have advocated for ongoing pedestrian and safety improvements throughout the district, including securing state funding, with help from Assemblymember Phil Ting, for bus bulbouts on Fulton Street when SFMTA faced a budget shortfall. And when our neighbors fell victim to traffic collisions, I pushed SFMTA to install safety improvements on Fulton at 37th Avenue, and a rapid flashing beacon at 38th Avenue and Geary Boulevard. All improvements are now in progress.

And because I know that safety cannot be accomplished through individual improvements, as a County Transportation Authority (CTA) commissioner, I allocated funding to develop a comprehensive plan to improve and demand transit safety for the Richmond, known as the District 1 Transportation Study. More information can be found online at sfcta.org/D1-study. The study will identify existing challenges throughout the district and develop near- to long-term strategies to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety, create transit reliability, and shift neighborhood trips from driving to transit, walking and biking.

My office and the CTA staff will partner together and begin conducting outreach later this spring. I invite you to participate and provide your input and feedback on your top priorities to improve transit safety in the district. The study will kick off outreach with a Town Hall on April 27. Please email chanstaff@sfgov.org for more information. My office will use the study’s recommendations as a guide to deliver public transit, pedestrian safety and bike connectivity projects.

In addition to the study, to ensure SFMTA is delivering safe and efficient services to the Richmond and communities at large, I have requested SFMTA and SF Fire Department to produce a map analyzing traffic congestions that have slowed our emergency response time, and the SFMTA’s plan of enforcement with the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) for moving and traffic violations that endanger cyclists and pedestrians.

And specifically, due to recent road closures that have impacted the Richmond District, I have also requested SFMTA and the Recreation and Park Department to report on the progress and implementation of the Golden Gate Park Access and Safety Program now that the voters voted to keep much of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park closed to cars. The departments already have noted that they have a lot of work to do, including improving disability access, reducing traffic congestion and improving the reliability of Muni lines to the park.

There is much work to be done to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in the Richmond District, and together with the commitment from city departments and our community, we can accomplish safer streets.

This article was published in the Richmond Review in April 2023.