Why we need the 8th Avenue Neighborway

We need to talk about the 8th Avenue Neighborway. We were attending the November 7th MTA meeting to support another project when some of our neighbors presented a petition showing their opposition for the proposed safety improvements to 8th Avenue. This is an unfortunate, though not entirely unexpected development. While MTA has other neighborways in the pipeline, this is one of the first official ones to move forward in San Francisco, and it’s a big change for folks who think of getting around our city from the perspective of driving first. The plan is to calm traffic and distribute automobiles more evenly throughout the neighborhood, creating a better, safer route for folks in our neighborhood regardless of how they get around.

Neighborways accomplish this by lowering speeds, reducing traffic volumes, and improving the visibility of people on the sidewalk. The idea is to keep people safe by making the design of the street itself encourage calm behavior, so that everyone can get to their destinations comfortably. This is why the project includes a number of design elements (not just diverters!) aimed at improving the street along each of these axes.

When folks show up to voice their opposition to projects like this, one of the main criticisms they levy is that it will make it harder for them to drive in their neighborhoods. While we empathize with the fact that change is difficult to navigate, it’s imperative that we continue to move forward with plans that prioritize safety of individuals on our city streets over convenience. In addition, this makes the route more convenient for those who don’t rely on cars to navigate San Francisco. When folks say they need a car to get around, we need to start on delivering projects like this which remove that need. If they cannot imagine a city they can get around in without a car, then we need to start building one that makes it a reality.

Projects much like this have been implemented in Berkeley in the past, just to pick a local example, so we have models of what success looks like. The Richmond has great resources that bound it, Golden Gate Park on the south and Lands End and the Presidio to the north, and it’s imperative we starting connecting them with each other with projects like this. For the future of our city and our world, we need to start implementing greener solutions for getting around our city. For the future of our friends and neighbors, we need to start implementing safer solutions for getting around our city. This is a step in the right direction. We implore you to reach out to SFMTA at MTABoard@sfmta.com and Supervisor Fewer at Sandra.Fewer@sfgov.org to show your support for this project.