Board of Supervisors Unanimously Passes Wiener’s Ped Safety Reforms

Supervisor Scott Wiener's package of legislation aimed at streamlining pedestrian safety projects was passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors yesterday, and will be incorporated into the city's administrative code.

Here's what the legislation will do:

• Create a Street Design Review Committee to foster better coordination between agencies on street infrastructure projects.
• Call upon agencies to “modernize street code provisions” and “formulate clear procedures” for coordination.
• Make it easier for developers to implement pedestrian safety projects as gifts to the city in lieu of impact fees.
• Define what the city considers an "obstruction" to emergency vehicles under the fire code in order to provide more leeway for sidewalk extensions.

"We have an epidemic of pedestrian accidents on our streets," Wiener said at a meeting last week. "Despite the priority we have given to pedestrian safety upgrades, even when we have safety projects that have strong support and funding, our process for actually implementing these improvements is flawed and needs to be improved. This legislation would do that."