Shotwell Slow Street
The Shotwell Slow Street is an effort to improve safety and support active transportation on this corridor from 14th Street to Cesar Chavez, providing an important north-south connection through the Mission neighborhood. Shotwell Street was initially designated as a COVID-19 Response Slow Street in June 2020, and approved by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board as a post-pandemic Slow Street in August 2021. On December 6, 2022, the SFMTA Board affirmed Shotwell Street’s inclusion in the ongoing Slow Streets program.
Learn more about the Slow Streets program
Shotwell Slow Street Evaluation
Following the SFMTA Board’s approval of STREET, the SFMTA Project team collected additional data analysis to assess how the street is performing against the Slow Streets Program targets:
- Vehicle speeds at or below 15 mph
- Vehicle volumes less than 1,000 per day
For additional information on how this street compares to others in the Slow Streets program, or for overall program findings, please see the 2023 Evaluation Report.
Background
Shotwell Street was initially introduced as a Slow Street during the pandemic response phase of the program in 2020. Following a program-wide outreach process to measure the effectiveness of COVID-19 Response Slow Streets in 2021, Shotwell Street proved to have high rates of use and vehicle speeds and volumes that met criteria for a low-stress street. Additionally, Shotwell Street fulfilled a need for a safe, calm, north-south bike connection through the Mission. Based on the outcome of that evaluation, the SFMTA Slow Streets team recommended that Shotwell Street—along with Golden Gate Avenue, Sanchez Street, and Lake Street—be made post-pandemic Slow Streets by SFMTA Board. The Board approved the recommendation, and outreach to develop a more robust design for Shotwell Street began in the Spring of 2021. This phase of outreach included a survey, a virtual open house, and numerous community meetings. As of the Fall of 2022, the design was substantially implemented.
In December 2022, the SFMTA Slow Streets team brought a plan for an ongoing Slow Streets Program to the SFMTA Board for approval. Because this represented the creation of a new program for the City, it was necessary to re-authorize the four previously-approved “post-pandemic” Slow Streets as part of the new Slow Streets Program. On December 6, 2022, the ongoing Slow Streets Program for San Francisco was approved, and Shotwell Street was among the 16 initial corridors included in the Program. The ongoing Slow Streets Program establishes a set of data-driven criteria for measuring the success of Slow Streets, and includes an expanded design toolkit for implementing Slow Streets. The Slow Streets Program team will be evaluating Shotwell Street to determine if the previously-implemented design needs to be refined to meet the new Program criteria for vehicle volumes and speeds following the approval of the permanent program.
Shotwell Slow Street Design
This design was approved on September 10, 2021 to calm traffic and lower vehicle volumes using Slow Streets delineator signs, median delineators and vehicle turn restrictions at three intersections, and new continental crosswalks. View the complete design here.
Next Steps
Shotwell Street met program speed targets and program volume targets. The Slow Streets program team will continue to monitor vehicle speeds and volumes on this street.
Sign up for updates via the link on the righthand side of the page, and email SlowStreets@SFMTA.com with “Shotwell Street” in the subject line with any questions or feedback.