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These are the first SFgo signs going up in a residential neighborhood in SF. SFgo is intended to bring ‘smart’ driving to SF by providing real-time information to drivers on key traffic corridors, enabling them to make better route-planning decisions.

On image on the left is of Fell street, on the right is of Oak. Both are right near their intersection with Divisadero.

So some big signs on some big streets. What’s the big deal?

To: Ross Mirkarimi <Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org>
From: Michael J. Fogel <mike … at … fogel.ca>

Subject: SFgo signs are a step backward

Hi Mr. Mirkarimi,

I currently live at Hayes and Filmore, in your district. Over the past five years, I’ve lived at three different locations in SF, all in your district (Lower Haight, NoPa, and now Alamo Square). We’re lucky to live in the neighborhood we do.

I want you to know that I feel strongly the new SFgo signs are a step in the wrong direction. Rather than make our neighborhoods more people-scaled and people-friendly, these signs will push drivers (you and I included) further toward a freeway driving mentality while speeding along Oak and Fell. These streets are bad enough already. We should be taking steps to calm them, not speed them up.

Specifically:

- the SFgo sign on Oak should be removed completely. It serves no valid purpose.
- the SFgo sign on Fell should be moved to the freeway off-ramp down to Octavia. The sign should be placed well in advance of the Market street crossing.

In addition:

- the lights on Fell and Oak should be timed at 25mph, not 30. It requires aggressive driving to even keep up with the timing of the lights over the Alamo Square Hill.
- on Oak, from Baker to Scott one lane of traffic or parking should be removed immediately to provide a bike lane on the right hand side.
- A full study of these streets should be undertaken to identify effective longer-term steps we can take toward making these streets an asset to our neighborhood, rather than the barrier they currently are.

I’m not a member of any of the neighborhood groups. I don’t have time to go and speak out at the community meetings. I’m not the type that’s complaining about every little last thing that’s wrong with the neighborhood. But I feel strongly the new SFgo signs area a blatant, highly visible step in the wrong direction. I urge you to do what you can to remove the new SFgo signs from the neighborhood.

Thanks for your time,

Michael Fogel