We Accept Company Stocks!

If your employer offers a matching stock donation program or if you prefer to donate equity, The East Cut Community Benefit District accepts company stocks as donations! Contact pierre@theeastcut.org for more information.

• Tree pickup ended January 15^th
• A Bulky Item Recycling collection must be scheduled for pickup. Trees can no longer be placed on sidewalk with normal collection. Please coordinate with your building management if they provide trash service.

As we enter the New Year, your continued support of district merchants makes a world of difference for the many neighborhood small businesses working hard to ride out this pandemic. Shopping locally has never been more meaningful and the local retail community counts on your support to come out of this tough time stronger, together. Let The East Cut CBD know what products and services you would like to see offered by local businesses this year. Contact us at info@theeastcut.org with suggestions - we are all ears!

With the sudden arrival of COVID-19, city life was altered and a call for change emerged. Moreover, that change included transportation-based responses, especially as the pandemic placed a new premium on safe outdoor spaces. One of the main responses was the concept of ‘Slow Streets’ in which cities restricted vehicle access to select neighborhood streets. It is an intervention filled with good intentions for public health and safety, however a failure to comprehensively engage members of affected communities in the implementation of this initiative led to fierce resistance and eventually a turning point in the discourse of urban planning.

Slow Streets drew controversy from many residents directly being affected by the program. In Oakland, for example, the adoption of Slow Streets was criticized for its unclear purpose and its lack of consideration of input from community members, particularly people of color, people with lower incomes, and people with disabilities. This backlash pushed cities to revise their program and rethink their approach to its development. Although it is important to move fast in implementing such response programs, it may be even more critical to include community members in the discussion before avoidable mistakes are made and more time is effectively wasted. 

In the East Cut, one of the densest neighborhoods in San Francisco, SFMTA has made no attempts to create a Slow Street. The need for safe public spaces where residents, particularly children, can move and play, led to the CBD's lobbying to activate the Temporary Transbay Terminal. The RFP for the activation is due February 3rd, and the CBD is hopeful that neighborhood-serving activities will be happening on the site in the coming months.

Founded in Sweden in 1995, Vision Zero is a road safety system that seeks to achieve zero road fatalities through implementation of its principles and guidelines (which can vary country-by-country). Most major cities in the United States have adopted a Vision Zero policy and its popularity is growing. San Francisco adopted a Vision Zero policy in 2014 in an effort to eliminate fatalities and injuries that occur on San Francisco streets (and are considered completely avoidable). San Francisco's Vision Zero group has regular meetings and events, and lobbies the City to adopt policies and enact changes to reduced fatalities. However, despite the enactment of numerous measures since the adoption of Vision Zero, traffic fatalities have remained consistent with data traced back to 2006 on the Vision Zero website. The highest concentration of fatalities, according to data reported by Vision Zero, occurs in downtown San Francisco. 

The evolving East Cut neighborhood is developing as truly multi-modal, with pedestrian, biking, and, of course, transit improvements being implemented in the neighborhood. Salesforce Transit Center has largely taken regional bus lines off the districts streets. Folsom Street improvements are nearing completion, with a protected bike lane in both directions and new turn restrictions to protect pedestrians and bicyclists at crossings. Most recently, "quick build" improvements have come to both Howard and Beale streets. 

All these improvements leave untouched the biggest challenge - that the neighborhood is still a massive thoroughfare to and from the Bay Bridge. Too often cars come off the bridge onto Fremont at high speeds, zipping through intersections busy with pedestrians. On First Street, during rush hour, the street is gridlock with cars blocking the box and making illegal turns. When not backed up with rush hour traffic, the street can feel like a raceway on to the bridge. Creating a truly safe residential neighborhood will require solving this challenge. 

Vision Zero High Injury Network Map, link here
Vision Zero SF Annual Fatality Report, link here

Share your thoughts on top priorities for pedestrian and bicycle safety in The East Cut by reaching out to us at: info@theeastcut.org.