Vehicles are prohibited from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk as part of the city’s Vision Zero efforts to eliminate traffic deaths and make roads safer.
New parking rules went into effect in San Francisco this Monday, reports Amanda Bartlett in SFGate. The new rules ban parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk as part of a safety strategy known as ‘daylighting,’ which improves visibility for both drivers and pedestrians by removing obstructions from intersections. According to WalkSF, daylighting can reduce crashes by as much as 30 percent.
San Francisco drivers will receive a written warning if they violate the law. “The warning period serves as a way to raise awareness of the policy in San Francisco before SFMTA starts issuing $40 citations come Jan. 1, 2025,” Bartlett explains.
However, drivers will likely have to guess where the 20-foot zone ends at many intersections. “San Francisco does not have resources to paint every crosswalk corner approaching red, and a program that relies only on paint would require repainting every corner approximately every 5 years or so, thus it would also require significant maintenance resources going forward,” said an SFMTA spokesperson in April. The city has painted curbs at “many busy or high injury intersections.”
The initiative is expected to remove up to 5 percent of the city’s on-street parking spaces. Safety advocates say this is a worthwhile tradeoff, particularly in light of news that 2024 could be the deadliest year for road users since the city pledged to implement Vision Zero in 2014.
FULL STORY: A major change is coming to San Francisco's parking rules
How Well Will San Francisco’s Daylighting Program Work?
Unlike other efforts to prevent cars from parking near intersections to improve visibility and road safety, San Francisco has no plans to install physical infrastructure to keep vehicles out of danger zones.
Audit: Portland’s Vision Zero Needs More Data, Funding
A city audit found that the program has failed to reduce traffic deaths and could benefit from a more systematic approach. Meanwhile, PBOT says it needs more state funding to support road safety projects.
How “Proven Safety Countermeasures” Save Lives
A bill named in honor of a U.S. diplomat killed while on her bicycle would let state DOTs access full federal funding for road safety projects.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service