Kirkham Street Neckdown Project

Project Background

People living on Kirkham Street have expressed worries about cars going too fast, cutting through the street, and safety. From August 2020 to July 2025, there were 15 collisions along the corridor (between 6th and 19th Avenues). Kirkham was designated as a Slow Street during the COVID-19 pandemic to help reduce speeds, but that designation was later removed for other reasons.

To help, SFMTA started a new plan to make Kirkham Street safer between 9th and 10th Avenues. This included a neckdown feature in the middle of the street, like ones used in The Presidio. It is only 14 feet wide, requiring drivers to slow down and negotiate the available space – this encourages drivers to slow down, observe their surroundings, and proceed intentionally through the street. This project is part of SFMTA’s Strategic Plan and San Francisco’s Vision Zero goal to make streets safer.

The neckdown was installed in October 2024 between 9th and 10th Avenues with paint, concrete islands, signs, and delineators, all of which still allow for the free flow of emergency vehicles and were approved by the Fire Department. Data showed more cars going west, so a yield sign was added for cars coming east, giving the westbound cars the right of way.

What We Heard From the Community

Residents gave us important feedback about the trial. They talked about street use, confusion about who has the right of way, safety, congestion, and suggested alternate interventions like speed humps. Some shared that the neckdown made them feel safer crossing the street and were supportive of the change.  Some said they weren’t told enough about the project in advance and want to be more involved in planning future changes.

Project Findings

The trial showed that neckdowns can help slow down cars. Although there was no recorded increase in collisions near the neckdown, results also suggest neckdowns might be better suited on lower volume streets without dedicated bike lanes or frequent commercial loading activities. Community feedback showed it wasn't right for this street, so we are now looking at other ways to slow traffic and improve safety.

Project Update and Public Hearing

Because of what we learned, SFMTA is holding an Engineering Public Hearing to consider a proposal to:

1. Remove the neckdown between 9th and 10th Avenues.
2. Install a speed cushion in the middle of the block between 9th and 10th Avenues.
3. Install small painted and raised median islands on both sides of the intersection at Kirkham Street and 10th Avenue.
4. Paint crosswalk markings at 10th Avenue and Kirkham Street.

A virtual engineering public hearing will be held about these changes on December 5, 2025 at 10 a.m.  Please visit this webpage for more information.

If approved, construction would begin early next year.  

In the next few days, we will also share the final report and our evaluation of the project. Please stay tuned.