San Francisco Slow Streets Bucks Citywide Trend, Reducing Injuries by 61 Percent

San Francisco’s Slow Streets program is dramatically reducing injury collisions, reports Dan Brekke for KQED.

The program, which covers 32 miles and was made permanent in late 2022, is designed to limit traffic and reduce speeds to 15 miles per hour or lower on participating streets. Those segments saw a 61 percent drop in injury crashes, while the rest of the city saw a rise of 6 percent since December 2022.

“Christopher White, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, said in a statement that Slow Streets is a key component to building a citywide network accessible to people of all ages and abilities.” Advocates are calling on the city to speed the expansion of the program to achieve its Vision Zero goals, noting that the success of Slow Streets indicates how small changes can have a major impact.

Slow Streets interventions include low-cost tools such as flexible posts, paint, and signs. “It’s such an insignificant cost in terms of materials and labor, but yet it has had such a significant impact on public safety,” said data analyst Stephen Braitsch.  Traffic safety advocates suggest adding other interventions such as signal timing and reducing the number of lanes on dangerous streets.