Traffic will soon be moving slower through San Francisco's Tenderloin

SAN FRANCISCO - Traffic will soon be moving slower through San Francisco's Tenderloin.

That neighborhood is set to be the first in the city to have a 20 mph speed limit.

The change has to do with safety – with the goal to increase safety for people walking, cycling, and driving through that neighborhood.

The SFMTA been working with Supervisor Matt Haney on these new safety improvements.

In December, the agency proposed this slower speed limit in a report highlighting how the pandemic has impacted people who live and work in the Tenderloin. The report notes every street in the Tenderloin is on the city’s "high injury network."

This is a small percentage of streets that account for the majority of traffic collisions involving injuries or fatalities.

The proposal also included "no turn on red" regulations at more intersections.  Haney, who represents District 6, tweeted early Thursday morning that his will be implemented at 54 intersections.

"The tenderloin is the neighborhood where residents are most likely to get hit by a car," he wrote. "The evidence shows that reducing speeds and limiting turns does matter."

There will also be increased enforcement and more signage.

Most streets in that area have a 25 mph peed limit.

But Haney said there’s a greater chance of survival for someone who may be hit by a car going just 5 miles slower