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Fire commission, chief and public weigh safety trade-offs in Tenderloin slow-streets trial on Jones Street
Summary
The commission and SFFD leaders described a four-block Jones Street slow-streets trial that gives up a parking lane with K-rails, tracks response times and runs a monitoring period; public commenters urged creative designs citing JFK Drive and Barcelona Superblocks.
Commissioners and department leaders on July 22 focused on the tension between slow-streets pedestrian projects and emergency response access in the Tenderloin. Chief Janine Nicholson said the Tenderloin is one of the city's densest neighborhoods and "the busiest corridor for fire and EMS in the nation," and she urged careful review to avoid harming response times.
Deputy Chief of Operations Victor Wirch described a design compromise for Jones Street: the city removed a parking lane across four blocks, installed K-rails where parked cars previously sat and left six-foot passages so fire hoses and gurneys can pass between barriers. "So basically, that's what we gave up," Wirch said, explaining that the change preserved space for aerial ladders while creating safer pedestrian areas.
Wirch and Nicholson said the conversion will be monitored as a trial with response-time tracking: an initial report-back is planned after two weeks, with further checks at one month and additional intervals. "Our response times will be evaluated," Wirch said; the trial can be adjusted or rescinded if it negatively affects response.
Public commenters urged the commission to "think outside the box" and cited other models. Martin Munoz urged officials to study successful car-free designs such as JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park and Barcelona's Superblock concept to create pedestrian space without blocking emergency access. "It's not a competition between pedestrians, cyclists and emergency vehicles. It's a collaboration," Munoz said.
Commissioners asked whether movable barriers could be used and whether the trial's scope and duration were sufficient. Department staff said the particular K-rails in place for Jones Street are non-movable (water-filled or concrete) but are placed where parked cars would be so apparatus access is preserved; the department emphasized continued coordination with SFMTA and supervisors.
The commission directed the department to monitor the trial and report back to ensure public-safety standards are maintained.
