by the El Reportero staff
San Francisco is lowering speed limits around schools and making changes to Muni service as thousands of students return to classrooms for the new academic year.
Mayor Daniel Lurie joined San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials, school representatives and community members Aug. 14 at Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School in the Mission District to announce the school-safety measures.
Flynn, a Spanish-immersion and general education elementary school on Cesar Chavez Street, is among the first schools where San Francisco is implementing lower speed limits under a new state law.
The SFMTA has established a 20 mph default school speed limit and is expanding the use of 15 and 20 mph limits around schools. The agency plans to eliminate 25 mph school-zone limits at more than 230 public and private schools by 2028.
“Flynn Elementary is a great example of how our work can make schools safer: high visibility crosswalks, lower speeds and clearer intersections, with Muni right outside the school and crossing guards to help kids cross the street safely,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said. “This work is happening all across the city.”
The agency said it completed more than 40 school-zone crossing improvements during the summer and has improved visibility at approximately 2,300 intersections near schools through red-curb “daylighting,” which prevents vehicles from parking too close to crosswalks.
SFMTA also pointed to its automated speed-camera program, reporting that speeding declined 91 percent on Cesar Chavez Street in front of Flynn following installation of a camera. The cameras, however, remain part of a broader public debate over automated traffic enforcement, privacy and the growing use of surveillance technology on San Francisco streets.
Genny May-Montt, president of the Flynn Elementary PTA, welcomed the safety improvements.
“As a parent, volunteer soccer coach, and PTA president at Flynn Elementary, I am incredibly grateful that the SFMTA is prioritizing the safety of our children and families,” May-Montt said.
Transportation changes extend beyond streets surrounding the schools. Muni service changes scheduled to begin Aug. 29 include adjustments intended to make transit more convenient for students traveling to several San Francisco schools.
The initiative also maintains crossing-guard coverage throughout the city. SFMTA says more than 170 crossing guards will serve school communities this year.
City officials say the combined strategy — lower speed limits, improved crosswalks, crossing guards and transit changes — is intended to make the daily trip to and from school safer while encouraging more students and families to use public transportation.
