What happens when we invest in safer streets

Written By Sakura Martin

I got my start in public service with city commissions in 2012, when I was appointed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee. Our job was to push city departments to make streets safer. I fought for practical improvements like raised crosswalks, bulb-outs, curb cuts, and daylighting, often pushing back when departments resisted change.

I then went to work for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, where I fought to make parks safer for people walking and biking. I worked closely with SFMTA and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition to reduce speeds in Golden Gate Park, and led the Golden Gate Park Traffic Safety Improvement Project that brought real change to high-traffic corridors. We carried that same approach into McLaren Park.


Before leaving the Recreation and Park Department, I also led the effort to expand car-free Healthy Saturdays on JFK Drive into a year-round program. That meant doing parking studies, community surveys, engagement with the disability community, and identifying underused capacity in the Concourse Parking Garage on free museum days. That work helped lay the foundation for Proposition J in 2022, which permanently closed portions of JFK to cars and created the JFK Promenade.

When people don’t feel safe walking, biking, or getting their kids across the street, that is a public safety failure. I support building and maintaining District 8’s slow streets network, expanding protected bike lanes to include 17th Street to Jane Warner Plaza, and delivering more traffic-calming improvements. I believe in Vision Zero. No one should risk their life just getting across town.

Every serious traffic injury or fatality is preventable. District 8 must lead by building infrastructure that is intuitive, connected, and designed for safety first. That means centering the most vulnerable: seniors, children, people with disabilities, and anyone who relies on walking, biking, or transit.

Street safety is also good, sensible climate and economic policy. Safer, calmer streets reduce emissions, support local businesses through increased foot traffic, and create neighborhoods that feel welcoming and alive.

As Supervisor, I will make safe travel the default, not something people have to fight for.

My priorities include:

  • Build a continuous, connected bike lane network so biking is a safe, everyday option

  • Expand successful slow streets like Slow Sanchez and bring new ones to neighborhoods that want them

  • Target high-injury corridors with bulb-outs, raised crosswalks, and proven safety upgrades

  • Implement speed cameras on corridors with chronic speeding, including San Jose Avenue

  • Expand slow school zones so kids can get to school safely

  • Use daylighting strategically with planters, parklets, bike corals, and design features that prevent unsafe driving behavior

  • Pair lower speed limits with real street design changes so safer speeds become the norm

As Supervisor,  I would be  ready to build on more than a decade of street safety work. District 8 still has much more to do to make our streets safer for everyone, and I’m committed to getting it done alongside community advocates who have led the way.

We have a clear vision for a safer, more livable District 8. Our public spaces should be vibrant, our streets thoughtfully designed, and safety the foundation of every transportation decision.

I’m ready to deliver a District 8 where pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers can all move through our neighborhoods with confidence.

Sakura Martin