After learning that SFMTA is planning to bring back left turns on Valencia Street, a group of advocacy groups penned the following letter to the mayor and SFMTA.
Dear Mayor Lurie and Director Kirschbaum,
As construction begins on curbside parking-protected bike lanes on Valencia Street, the undersigned organizations write to express our grave concerns regarding the reintroduction of left turns along the corridor where they are currently illegal, and the implications of that decision for the most vulnerable road users. Citywide, left turns account for 40% of pedestrian traffic fatalities, according to SF’s Vision Zero data. Even though they are currently not allowed, data shows that left turns already are a source of danger along the corridor: illegal left turns are the number one cause of crashes along the corridor since the installation of the center-running bike lane, and two pedestrians have been killed along the corridor since the start of 2023 by people making left turns in cars. We are asking you to keep left turns prohibited on Valencia between 15th and 23rd Streets.
Valencia Street is one of the most important streets in the City for walking and cycling, and is directly adjacent to one of the City’s busiest public transit corridors. We understand and are sensitive to the financial struggle of merchants along the corridor, and that they want to retain local vehicular access. We also hear their concern that, facing parking loss, they wish to see car traffic circulation improve. We are open to exploring ways to enhance local vehicular access so long as the safety and comfort of other street users are not compromised. However, there is good reason to predict that reintroducing left turns will not help circulation, and would likely impede it. This is because the geometry of Valencia does not allow for dedicated, signaled left turn lanes. Anyone wanting to make a left turn from Valencia will therefore need to stop their vehicle at the intersection and wait for opposing traffic to clear. Any other cars behind them on Valencia will be forced to wait behind that stopped car until it is able to make a left turn.
Not only will traffic fail to improve, but the corridor will become far less safe as a result. The backup of cars behind someone making a left turn will induce pressure on the person driving, encouraging them to speed through the turn at the first possible opportunity. In such situations, people driving often experience “inattentional blindness,” in which they only see objects or people they are consciously looking for — in this case, oncoming cars — and fail to anticipate or see other things, like people stepping off a curb into the crosswalk or biking in the bike lane. These dynamics create deadly risks for people walking, biking, scooting, connecting to public transit, or using mobility devices on Valencia.
The current proposal would reintroduce lefts at six intersections: three left turns in the northbound and three in the southbound directions but staggered such that only one left would be allowed at each intersection. This irregular distribution will likely confuse people driving, leading to unpredictable and inconsistent behavior. Unpredictability is one of the most dangerous factors to introduce onto streets, putting vulnerable road users at even greater risk.
Mayor Lurie, we know public safety is your number one priority, and that you understand traffic safety is public safety. We believe keeping Valencia as safe as possible is aligned with your goals.
If left turns are implemented on Valencia, then the SFMTA must study and mitigate the hazards introduced by left turns, including:
- Immediate ongoing study and quarterly public reporting of vehicle behavior at intersections, assessing the frequency of excessive speeds on left turns, close calls, and other indicators of unsafe conditions. Collisions and fatalities cannot be our only data point for assessing safety.
- Immediate implementation of left-turn calming treatments at each intersection where lefts are permitted.
- Immediate implementation of 20’ of daylighting with protective posts at all intersections, to ensure that vulnerable road users are as visible as possible to people behind the wheel.
- A commitment to repeal permitted left turns if preliminary data shows more than 10% of left turns are taken at 15 mph or faster, if left turns are making traffic circulation worse, or if anyone is injured — or worse — by a person making a left turn.
Again, maintaining left turn restrictions, as was included in the original design that was considered and unanimously approved by the SFMTA Board, is the much safer and preferred outcome. Please ensure the safest possible Valencia Street and do not reintroduce left turns onto Valencia.
