San Francisco crews recently removed the “neck-down” safety feature on Kirkham between 9th and 10th Avenues. It was replaced with a speed hump and new stripes.
“We worked to install a speed cushion in the middle of the block between 9th and 10th Avenues, install small painted and raised median islands on both Kirkham Street approaches to 10th Avenue, and paint crosswalk markings at 10th Avenue and Kirkham Street,” wrote SFMTA’s media department, in an email to Streetsblog.
Streetsblog readers will recall that the neck-down, described as an “experimental” treatment to force drivers to look up from their cell phones and navigate the block at safe speeds, was installed last year. SFMTA collected data and found that it was working as intended: slowing traffic to a safe speed. It also did not cause any delays or collisions.
In other words, SFMTA finally installed a modest concrete treatment used throughout the world to force drivers to slow down and be safe. But a handful of loud motorists complained to District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who in turn complained to SFMTA, an ostensibly independent city agency. Out came the jackhammers…