WalkFirst

Timeline

Phase 1

October 1, 2010 - September 30, 2011. In 2010, San Francisco received a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to fund the first phase of WalkFirst, a project to develop a framework for how the City would prioritize future pedestrian improvements. A map of Key Walking Streets (streets where people are walking) and a map of Pedestrian High Injury Corridors (streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal injuries) were developed.

Background Documents and Maps

Presentations to the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC)

Phase 2

WalkFirst is a data-driven process to prioritize 5 years of capital improvements to meet Pedestrian Strategy goals and make San Francisco a safer place to walk. This work builds on the WalkFirst Phase 1 completed in September 2011.

On March 6, 2014, Mayor Lee joined City partners including the SFMTA, Planning Department, Department of Public Health, Department of Public Works and the Controller's Office in presenting the recommendations of WalkFirst, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the United States to improve pedestrian safety in San Francisco. Tasked with creating a strategic framework to identify and deliver pedestrian projects and programs in San Francisco, WalkFirst has combined public engagement with technical and statistical analysis of where and why pedestrian collisions occur on our city streets, and updated knowledge about the effectiveness and costs of various engineering measures proven to reduce pedestrian collisions. As a result, WalkFirst has now provided the City with a roadmap of urgently needed pedestrian safety projects and programs over the next five years and the toolbox of measures that can be leveraged to reduce serious pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The City is now ready to leverage $17 million to improve pedestrian safety at 170 high-priority locations identified by WalkFirst over the next five years. The Mayor's Transportation Task Force recommends that up to $50 million be available for this program. WalkFirst is part of the City's larger Vision Zero program, a goal to eliminate serious pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the City in the next 10 years.

• Download the Briefing Book
• Download the Frequently Asked Questions
• Download the list of Vision Zero Projects
• Learn more about Vision Zero

Phase 2 Steps / Time Frame

Phase 3

San Francisco's streets represent 25% of city land. Streets are our most important public resource, in large part because they are shared equally by all residents of San Francisco. Our streets are not just about transportation, but also recreation, social and economic activity, and ecological performance. The way in which we design our streets can help support these activities.

Over the years our streets have been transformed through efforts such as the Great Streets Project and the 2011 Road Repaving and Street Safety Bond, using the Better Streets Plan as a guide. These projects enhance the public realm, improve the transportation function of the street, and create other economic, environmental and social benefits.

Streetscape Projects

Streetscape projects improve the street environment for all people by providing space for mobility, social and recreational activities. Streetscape projects enhance the aesthetic and ecological qualities of the street, improve safety, and enrich the street's character and identity. Streetscape projects could include improvements such as sidewalk extensions, street trees, sidewalk landscaping, green infrastructure, street furniture, pocket parks, and other amenities.

The specific project elements will depend on a number of factors including the project budget, existing conditions of the street and community feedback. Below is a table which outlines the types of improvements you might see, depending on the specifics of the project.

Purpose & Outcomes

The goal of WalkFirst Phase 3 was to identify where the City should make streetscape improvements to have the greatest benefit, given limited funding. The project first identified a citywide Streetscape Network, representing places where people are walking OR would walk if the conditions were better. The factors used to define these streets include population density, transit ridership, land use, and priority pedestrian streets identified in streetscape plans. To view the specific criteria, click here.

The Streetscape Network was further distilled to a number of Priority Project Locations, segments of the network with high pedestrian activity, poor pedestrian environment and neighborhood commercial-type uses. Funding for streetscape improvements will be prioritized at these locations.

Final Report

This final report documents the methodology used to prioritize locations for future streetscape improvements.

• Final report
• Appendix A1 - Best Practices Report
• Appendix A2 - Prior Plan Methodology
• Appendix A3 - Scenario Planning Technical Memorandum
• Appendix A4 - Database of Streetscape Variables
• Appendix A5- Streetscape Suitability Coordination

Links & Resources

• Better Streets Plan
• Green Infrastructure Projects, SFPUC