Faster Safer Geary

08/09/2023

“If you believe that a majority of customers drove, then any reduction in parking would seem like rubbing salt on the wound.” Faster Safer Geary organizer and D1 resident Audrey Liu takes a close look 🔍 at Geary as a business corridor from a pedestrian and merchant POV:

Action Network Petition:https://actionnetwork.org/letters/faster-safer-geary/Special Thanks To:- Jay from Mocha Specialty | https://mochaspecialty.com/- Cyru...

08/08/2023

The SFMTA board votes on projects, contracts, and issues of values and priority for transit, streets, taxis, and parking in San Francisco. Join SF Transit Riders, Walk SF, and the SF Bike Coalition this Thursday at 6pm to meet with Dominica Henderson, the newest board member.

San Francisco Transit Riders Walk San Francisco and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition are proud to host a member event with Dominica Henderson, the newest incoming member of the SFMTA Board. 🚍

If you are a member of any of these organizations, join us this upcoming Thursday, August 10th, from 6:00-7:30 pm, over Zoom! Have questions for incoming Board Director Henderson? Questions will be taken both before and during the event, and asked by a moderator.

Sign-up at bit.ly/dominicahenderson or by scanning the QR code, and start thinking about what you’d like to ask! 🤔

08/08/2023

From the SFMTA (we're not affiliated, just resharing): "Have questions about the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project? Join us tomorrow, August 8 from 11am - 2pm at Hummus Bodega on Geary for a community office hours event. Grab lunch, talk to staff and learn more about how the project will Improve Geary. Click the link in our bio for more information."

08/08/2023

Many have championed improvements on Geary over the years, and our push to get this project to the SFMTA - San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board has been aided by many organizations.
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/faster-safer-geary/

If—after signing our letter campaign :D —you're looking for places to give or get involved, please check out some these awesome orgs...🧵

The Geary Boulevard improvement Project extends transit lanes and pedestrian safety improvements from Stanyan to 34th Ave along Geary. The first part of this project was completed in 2021 east of Stanyan and reduced the travel time of 38/38R by 18%. Further, the road treatments and pedestrian improv...

07/03/2023

Faster Safer Geary isn't just about buses, but safety too! After all, it's in the name. One of the big improvements for pedestrians are refuges in the middle of the street. Audrey Liu explains.

Last year, San Francisco saw the most pedestrians deaths since the start of Vision Zero. It's vital that projects like the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project prioritize pedestrian improvements like bulb outs, refuges, and measures to slow car traffic down.

The inclusion of pedestrian safety features is part of why organizations like Walk San Francisco support the Geary Improvement Project. Do you walk across the corridor? We need your support too. Send a letter to city leaders, and remind them of their commitment to Vision Zero.

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/faster-safer-geary/

05/30/2023

Meet Helene, a Richmond District mom who rides the 38 to work every day!

She wants the 38 to be safer and more—dangnabbit…the video is cut short! Did she say reliable, faster, or less crowded? 😵 There are so many benefits it’s hard to know for sure.

http://bit.ly/fastsafegeary

05/29/2023

😍 The Geary Blvd Improvement Project will be discussed at a San Francisco Transit Riders member event this Wed 5/31 6-7pm w/SFMTA planner Liz Brisson. Also on the agenda is parking meter hours w/planner Kenya Wheeler. Let us know if you're a SFTR member and need the reg info! (Or just reach out to SFTR directly at https://sftransitriders.org/.)

Support Our Work SF TRANSIT RIDERS Join UsrenewGive MonthlyHouseholdsEmployer Match Members are the lifeblood of our transit movement. Be a part of our dedicated community and make the difference for the future of public transit! Our members speak up for important projects and transit issues, educat...

05/28/2023

05/26/2023

How will bus lanes and pedestrian safety improvements support Geary merchants?

Well, data shows that most arrive on foot, by bike, or on the bus. Fewer than one in four people on Geary between Arguello and 23rd arrived by car, based on an SFCTA intercept study.

Small businesses are the beating heart of a strip like Geary. So their customers have to be able to get there!

Parking loss has been reduced to under 2%. Alongside this, improvements will make it faster and easier for people to arrive by bus or on foot. Bike improvements on Geary's cross streets will also help cyclists.

All of these improvements will help more trips to happen without a private vehicle, thus easing competition for parking.

This is why Faster Safer Geary believes this work will benefit businesses, too.

Yes, businesses are often nervous about changes perceived to reduce convenience for drivers in order to benefit people outside of cars.

But once the work is done, businesses tend to do well and "often become vocal supporters of further enhancements to the public realm."

If the words **businesses see improved performance** and **enhancements to the public realm** spark joy for you, send a letter asking our city leaders to move forward with a faster, safer Geary!

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/faster-safer-geary/manage

05/26/2023

Geary Boulevard was built out into an eight-lane expressway in the 1960s to connect the city from east to west, but by creating a dangerous street that was hard to cross, it also divided communities.

Transit lanes and pedestrian safety improvements won't undo all of this damage, but are a critical step to make it easier to move around, shop, and live along the Geary corridor today.

And if you're interested in the Geary corridor's history—including Japanese internment, and the so-called 'urban renewal' that devastated Fillmore as the Harlem of the West--and what this all has to do with pedestrian safety—check out this video.

Geary Boulevard has a troubling past that echoes into the present. See how, with local input, the Geary Rapid Project is helping to reconnect communities tha...

05/24/2023

Q: Why is is the Geary Boulevard Improvement Project moving bus stops from the ‘near’ to ‘far’ side of intersections?

A: This lets buses use signal priority, w/a sensor communicating w/the signal to give buses more green lights.

Support a faster 38 Geary by sending a letter:

The Geary Boulevard improvement Project extends transit lanes and pedestrian safety improvements from Stanyan to 34th Ave along Geary. The first part of this project was completed in 2021 east of Stanyan and reduced the travel time of 38/38R by 18%. Further, the road treatments and pedestrian improv...

05/23/2023

Improvements on Geary east of Stanyan gave us 18% FASTER 38/38R trips, and a SAFER road with 81% less excessive speeding. SFMTA has a plan to extend these benefits from Stanyan to 34th and we are here for it! It’s time to finish the job on a FASTER, SAFER, GEARY.

Faster Safer Geary is a campaign to urge the SFMTA board to approve the full and timely completion of the project as recommended by SFMTA staff, including the completion of transit lanes in 2023. You can send a letter to city leaders here:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/faster-safer-geary/

Why is this important?

1) Transit Justice: Every day, 36,000 people ride the 38/38R, which connects San Franciscans from the Richmond to the Fillmore, Japantown, Union Square, Market, SOMA. The demographics of 38/38R riders reflects this diversity, with more seniors and people with mobility needs than the San Francisco average. These San Franciscans deserve fast, reliable transportation.

2) Vision Zero: Along the two-mile stretch of this project, five people were killed--and over 500 injured--between 2010 and 2021. One pedestrian is injured per month, on average. Improvements east of Stanyan have already reduced crashes. We know this project will save lives.

3) Climate goals: This project will reduce San Francisco’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5,600 metric tons every year--equivalent to 700 households switching to renewable energy. And we know that to help San Franciscans shift more of their trips to lower-carbon modes, transit has to be competitive with cars.

4) Small businesses: 77% who come to this stretch of Geary walk, bike, or take transit. Studies show that pedestrian street improvements drive revenue. Business owners often become their biggest champions. This is the economic revitalization that San Francisco needs!

5) Downtown revitalization: Of course, it can’t hurt to make it easier and faster for tens of thousands of people to travel across town every day, making our downtown core more accessible to San Franciscans.

6) Operational efficiency: the same number of buses can provide more service when they’re going faster, as this project will allow. Or fewer buses can be used to offer the same headways and a quicker overall trip. This flexibility is a win-win on cost and service.

So, what’s the catch? This project will reduce parking along the corridor by (checks notes) an average of 1.4 spots per block. Some merchants are worried. We love our small businesses and will continue to talk with them about the benefits of a faster, safer Geary.

If you want to see a faster, safer Geary—a Geary that works for all San Franciscans, and that moves our city forward on our goals around transit justice, vision zero, climate, and economic revitalization, please send a letter to our city leaders: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/faster-safer-geary/

The Geary Boulevard improvement Project extends transit lanes and pedestrian safety improvements from Stanyan to 34th Ave along Geary. The first part of this project was completed in 2021 east of Stanyan and reduced the travel time of 38/38R by 18%. Further, the road treatments and pedestrian improv...