Monday: Speak Out on SFFD’s Push for Wider Streets at City Hall

A City Hall hearing scheduled for Monday is your chance to weigh in on the SF Fire Department’s insistence on wider roadways to accommodate fire trucks, which has undermined and watered down a number of livable streets projects.

An SFFD fire truck seen on Kearny Street in the Financial District. Image: kevinsyoza/Youtube

Supervisor Scott Wiener called for the hearing, to be held at a meeting of the Land Use and Economic Development Committee, to shed light on the SFFD’s claims that safer, slower, narrower streets hinder fire trucks. Reps from city agencies like the SFMTA and DPW are also expected to make presentations on street safety and design issues. Here’s the hearing description on the meeting agenda [PDF]:

Hearing requesting a report from the Fire Department, Department of Public Works, and the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure on the proposal to widen certain streets in the Hunters Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point developments, including why certain departments desired to make such a change so late in the process, the departments are requested to discuss their policy rationale for requesting such changes, including if and how the Better Streets Plan, the Pedestrian Safety Strategy, and the “Vision Zero” policy were factored and why prior Board of Supervisors and Mayoral approval of street cross sections for these developments was disregarded.

You can speak during the public comment period. The meeting starts at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall, Room 263. and can be viewed live on SFGovTV. The hearing is the second item on the agenda.

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