San Francisco will lower speed limits on more streets near schools after the city’s transportation agency approved a new safety program aimed at reducing crashes and making it safer for children to travel to and from class.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors voted Tuesday to establish a new default 20 mph speed limit on school streets and expand where 15 mph and 20 mph speed limits can be used, according to city officials.
The changes were made possible by a new state law and will allow San Francisco to implement lower school speed limits years before they become the statewide standard in 2031.
The first reduced speed limits will be installed before the start of the new school year near Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary School, Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School, St. Anthony-Immaculate Conception School, Jefferson Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School and Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, city officials said.
“As families get ready for the new school year, they deserve to know that they’ll be sending their kids out to safer streets so they can get to class and back home, every day, without fear.”
Mayor Daniel Lurie
Mayor Daniel Lurie emphasized the changes are intended to give parents greater confidence that their children can travel to and from school safely.
“As families get ready for the new school year, they deserve to know that they’ll be sending their kids out to safer streets so they can get to class and back home, every day, without fear,” Lurie said in a statement released by the city.
SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said the agency is moving quickly to take advantage of the new law so more families can benefit from calmer streets.
“Nothing matters more than helping children get to school safely,” said Kirschbaum. “Every day, thousands of families walk, bike, roll, take Muni and drive to schools across San Francisco, and every one of those journeys should feel safe.
Transportation officials said lower speeds significantly improve a pedestrian’s chance of surviving a crash. According to the agency, a person struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 mph has about a 90% chance of survival, compared with about 20% if the vehicle is traveling at 40 mph.