Changes are in the works for SoMa through SFMTA's $26 million Folsom-Howard Streestcape Project.
Now, after community meetings late last year, the agency will be holding two public open house meetings so the neighborhood can weigh in on upcoming design changes to Folsom and Howard streets.
As part of the Vision Zero initiative, the project would focus on making an area—Howard Street between 3rd and 11th streets and Folsom Street between 2nd and 11th streets—that the city has designated as a high-injury corridor more pedestrian and bike-friendly.
Between April 2011 and March 2016, the area saw 421 crashes, with 308 people injured and three killed. 88 were pedestrian injuries, and 72 were bicyclist injuries.
SFMTA notes that because the area was originally designated a light industrial neighborhood, the streets have not been updated to be more people-friendly.
Today, public transportation, bicycles, and cars often must navigate through shared lanes without physical separation. Pedestrians also face challenges with narrow sidewalks coupled with long crossings across streets.
To make the area safer, proposed changes include the installation of protected bike lanes and curb management. For walkers in the area, pedestrian bulb-outs, widening sidewalks, and the installation of mid-block crossings are being considered.
The project is a part of the Planning Department's Central SoMa Plan—whose goal is to maintain the sustainability of central and parts of eastern SoMa—and the Eastern Neighborhoods Transportation Implementation Planning Study.
The two open houses will be held Thursday, April 27th at 6:00pm-7:30pm and Saturday, April 29th at 12:00pm-2:00pm at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School at 375 7th Street, between Folsom and Howard streets. Both meetings will cover the same material.
