The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s latest announcement about its list of Slow Streets, a program for closing off streets to vehicle traffic to enable people to exercise or pass by each other enough distance, no longer includes Holloway Avenue between Harold and Beverly streets.
Turns out it’s needed for emergency vehicle access.
“During lockdown, with fewer pedestrians and cyclists on the street, I’ve seen cars driving faster and less cautiously,” SFMTA Citizens’ Advisory Committee member Neil Ballard told The Light.
While streets lined by tent encampments in the Tenderloin and South of Market will surely benefit from street closures, it’s unclear what SFMTA’s intentions for Holloway Avenue exactly were as it’s not a crowded pedestrian route.
“Generally we’re looking for streets that are residential, connect to the bicycle network (or are part of the bicycle network), and connect in areas with reduced Muni service during the shelter in place,” SFMTA spokesperson Erica Kato told The Light via email.
Despite Holloway being nixed from the program’s line up, that doesn’t mean Ingleside won’t get a Slow Street of its own in the near future.
“While we had to remove Holloway from the program due to emergency access concerns, we are actively seeking another street in the neighborhood to replace it,” Kato added.
The SFMTA is taking community feedback about Slow Street online at sfmta.com/SlowStreets.
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