Organizing Victory: Pedestrian Safety

If you’re walking along 7th & Folsom, you may notice a slight change in the flow of traffic. That may be because, recently, the SFMTA installed a new sign prohibiting cars from making right turns onto Folsom Street when the light is red. This change was advocated for by SOMCAN, working closely with local students and their parents, to help reduce traffic-related accidents and fatalities along the busy intersection.

7th & Folsom are two of the City’s main thoroughfares, with bumper-to-bumper vehicles entering and exiting the nearby freeway. “When people think of SoMa, they mostly think of it as a commercial or industrial neighborhood. Not a lot of people are aware that many youth, families, and seniors reside here,” said Mary Claire Amable, SOMCAN’s Pedestrian Safety Coordinator. “We want to let drivers know that, just by slowing it down, they have the power to save lives and protect some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Our pedestrian safety campaign is just one of the ways we’re working to make SoMa safer and more livable, one block at a time. To learn what it’s like for a mother and her child walking from their apartment to school every morning, check out this video we produced in collaboration with Vision Zero, available in English, Tagalog, and Spanish.