Skip to main content

New State Laws Are Coming to the Streets of San Francisco

New State Laws Are Coming to the Streets of San Francisco
By Melissa Culross

People walking and on bicycles in the street and crosswalk. As of Jan. 1, 2024, bicyclists in California legally can cross a street on a pedestrian walk signal, instead of waiting for a traffic light.

Several new state laws that took effect on Jan. 1, 2024, will have an impact on transportation in San Francisco. Some of these impacts will be more widespread and immediately felt than others, but all are expected to make San Francisco streets safer.  

Street Safety and Vision Zero

AB 251 (Ward) - This law requires the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to study the relationship between vehicle weight and injuries to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. Vehicles have been increasing in size and weight in recent years, while pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. reached a four-decade high in 2021. The CTC will also study the possible costs and benefits of a passenger vehicle weight fee and how the funds created by such a fee might be used to improve road safety.  

AB 361 (Ward) - This law authorizes local agencies to install forward-facing cameras on city-owned or district-owned vehicles to enforce bicycle lane violations. AB 361 gives the agency another tool to support the safety of bicyclists by expanding our capacity to enforce regulations against cars blocking bike lanes. The legislation allows our enforcement officers to take still photos of bike lane parking violations until Jan. 1, 2030. The SFMTA plans to take the opportunity this legislation affords us, but a technology review will be necessary before cameras can be installed. 

AB 413 (Lee) - This new law prohibits the stopping, standing or parking of a vehicle within 20 feet of any crosswalk, whether it’s marked or not, and within 15 feet of a crosswalk with a curb extension. This change, known as “daylighting,” will only apply to the approach side of an intersection, and cities will have the ability to allow parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk that has clear signage or a painted curb. The legislation requires warnings to be issued until the beginning of next year, unless a violation occurs in an area marked with paint or a sign. The SFMTA has been a strong proponent of daylighting to increase pedestrian safety. Keeping the area next to crosswalks clear of parked vehicles allows pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists and anyone else rolling down the street to see each other more clearly. We are reviewing AB 413 and how it will be implemented in San Francisco, including how we can work with safety advocates, other cities and the DMV to increase awareness about the law.  

AB 645 (Friedman) - This law gives San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Jose, Long Beach and Glendale the authority to implement a five-year speed safety camera pilot program. The speed cameras will be used on San Francisco’s High Injury Network, the 12% of streets where more than 68% of severe and fatal traffic crashes occur, and possibly at other locations where speeding is a known issue. Unsafe speed is the number one factor in fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco. We are working to identify potential locations for the speed cameras and developing a plan for outreach and engagement with local stakeholder organizations, including racial equity, privacy protection and economic justice groups.  

AB 1909 (Friedman) – Most of this law, an omnibus bicycle bill, went into effect last year, but an important provision took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. AB 1909 amends the vehicle code to make it legal for people riding bikes to cross the street on a pedestrian walk signal, unless otherwise directed by a bicycle control signal. Previously it was only legal for bikes to cross the street on a green traffic light with automobile traffic. 

Transit Safety 

SB 434 (Min) - This law is intended to reduce the harassment of women and other vulnerable groups on public transit by collecting better data on these incidents. It requires the state’s ten largest transit agencies by ridership, including the SFMTA, to conduct public outreach and survey riders about their experiences with safety while waiting for or riding on transit. This legislation builds upon the SFMTA’s Safety Equity Initiative that is currently underway. Last year we launched MuniSafe, a campaign to enhance security and increase the reporting, investigation and prevention of harassment and assaults on Muni.  



Published January 09, 2024 at 11:48PM
https://ift.tt/bYPOcFq

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bayshore Boulevard Quick-Build Project Update

Bayshore Boulevard Quick-Build Project Update By Adrienne Heim Bayshore Boulevard is a mixture of industrial and commercial ruggedness mixed with historic and family run small business charm. Bayshore Boulevard is also a busy street that runs parallel to Highway 101 and is nestled between Bayview, Bernal Heights, Potrero Hill and Mission neighborhoods. Interestingly enough, one of the oldest restaurants in San Francisco, The Old Clam House , built in 1861 and recently re-opened after two years of closure due to the pandemic and management changes. As you begin to walk Bayshore and Oakdale heading south towards Silver Avenue, you’ll see workers grabbing food and saying hi to owner Tarik at Bayshore Taqueria, you’ll notice parents dropping off their children at the family run business American Gymnastics Club and folks walking to catch the 9 or 9R Bayshore or 23 Monterey Muni bus. For over 30 years, people have been visiting legacy business Flowercraft Garden Center , near Bayshore an

150 Years Ago Today – The Cable Car is Born

150 Years Ago Today – The Cable Car is Born By Kelley Trahan August 2, 2023, marks the 150th anniversary of the world’s first successful cable railway, born right here in San Francisco. To celebrate the occasion, we bring you the story of Andrew Hallidie and the very first cable car company, the Clay Street Hill Railroad.  Andrew Hallidie (1834-1900) was a pioneering inventor and entrepreneur who changed urban transportation. In 1852, at the age of 18, Hallidie emigrated with his father from the United Kingdom to San Francisco during the California Gold Rush. His father, an engineer and inventor, had a wire rope patent that played a crucial role in his son's future success.   Portrait of Andrew Smith Hallidie in 1890. Inspired by his father's wire rope business, Hallidie developed a steel cable mineral mine hauling system in 1857. About a decade later, he designed a wire rope aerial tramway for transporting materials over mountainous terrain. Then, after a stint in bridge