Pedestrian Infrastructure

When it comes to reclaiming street space for people, San Francisco's Pavement to Parks program has paved the way with a national model showing how cities can embrace community-driven parklet projects. But when it comes to installing plazas, there seems to have been little movement since the first handful were created on "excess" road space in the program's first year. Advocates and some city officials say the program needs to become a greater priority for city leaders.

Two blocks of Jefferson Street in Fisherman's Wharf have been revamped to prioritize walking and biking after the project was expedited with support from political leaders.

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.

The dream of reconnecting the two halves of East Palo Alto divided by Highway 101 with a bicycle/pedestrian bridge moved one step closer to reality last month with the release of the project's draft feasibility study [PDF].

The Central Subway is coming, like it or not, and that means Fourth Street will get Muni Metro service starting in 2019. With that in mind, the SF Planning Department recently released the draft Central SoMa Plan (formerly known as the Central SoMa Plan), which sets the stage for upzoned transit-oriented development near new stations and street improvements to accommodate a growing population in a rapidly changing section of SoMa.

A package of legislation aimed at cutting through the bureaucratic red tape that encumbers the city’s progress on life-saving pedestrian safety measures was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Economic Development Committee yesterday. The full board is expected to approve the proposals in the coming weeks.

This story falls into the unusual but persistent overlap between pedestrian advocacy and vandalism. In Vallejo, California, last week, one man saw the need for a crosswalk at a dangerous intersection, and decided it was his job to make it happen.

The plan for raised, parking-protected bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements on Second Street is shaping up after the Department of Public Works presented new details [PDF] last week.

Pedestrian safety fixes on deadly Sloat Boulevard will be installed beginning this June -- much sooner than originally proposed.