Tenderloin redo:
Project will increase sidewalk space for distancing.
A fourblock stretch of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood will be remodeled to make room for pedestrians, a temporary project intended to allow for more physical distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new “pedestrian spaces” were announced by Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Matt Haney on Friday as a way to support residents and businesses in the neighborhood, which has been hit hard by the virus.
The Jones Street project will extend from O’Farrell Street to Golden Gate Avenue. It will include an additional 5 to 8 feet of walking space, adjacent to the sidewalk borrowed from the streets and protected from traffic with concrete barriers or parked cars.
Additionally, the initiative builds on the Play Streets effort, shutting down full street blocks
on Saturdays so children can safely play there instead. City officials will also work with local restaurants to support outdoor dining on the blocks.
“We know that it’s been difficult for people to maintain physical distance on sidewalks when going out for essential outings in the Tenderloin, and these changes will make it easier for people to get around their neighborhood safely,” Breed said in a statement. “COVID19 has also made it difficult for our businesses, and thanks to our Shared Spaces Program, more restaurants in the Tenderloin will be able to use outdoor space to operate, which will support the economic and physical health of our entire community.”
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will begin refashioning the area this week.
“The Tenderloin not only deserves but desperately needs streets that are redesigned to meet the needs of the residents, essential workers, businesses, families, and seniors,” Haney said in a statement. “With the critical guidance of the Tenderloin Traffic Safety Taskforce and many other stakeholders, I’m excited that this set of projects is being implemented.”
In a neighborhood notorious for openair drug markets, filthy streets and high numbers of homeless and vulnerable residents, the area also requires substantial police and medical services. The Tenderloin has a higher concentration of traffic crashes and emergency service calls than anywhere else in the city, said Jeffrey Tumlin, SFMTA director of transportation.
“The street safety and design approaches that work in other neighborhoods did not work in the Tenderloin,” Tumlin said. “We’re grateful to the creativity of communitybased organizations, the Fire Department and other partners for helping us find creative solutions that work for the unique needs of Tenderloin residents.