25 MPH Speed Limits on Harrison and Bryant Approved at SFMTA Hearing

SFMTA staff approved a measure today to lower speed limits on Harrison and Bryant Streets form 30 MPH to 25 MPH in the South of Market (SoMa) District.

Harrison and Bryant are the third and fourth east-west corridors in SoMa to have their speed limits lowered after the board approved reductions on Folsom and Howard Streets a month ago.

“This is another good step toward taming San Francisco’s wide, fast, dangerous streets,” said Walk SF Executive Director Elizabeth Stampe. “Enforcement of these new safer speeds will be critical – we should see the police out there to educate drivers and ticket speeding cars.”

The high-speed, one-way streets of SoMa, which lie in District 6, have long been notoriously dangerous to walk or bike on. On Harrison, the SFMTA plans to implement safety measures at the hazardous Main Street intersection thanks to the work of local advocates.

When similar speed reductions for Folsom and Howard were approved at a hearing in May, SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose explained that they came from the agency’s regular citywide review of speed limits. “We see this cycle as an opportunity to adjust speed limits, especially in areas which have undergone significant land use and activity changes like SoMa,” Rose said at the time.

The new speed limits, from the Embarcadero to 13th Street on Harrison and from the Embarcadero to 11th Street on Bryant, are expected to receive final approval from the SFMTA Board of Directors in the coming weeks.