Dear Glen Park Neighbors,
The Glen Park Association (GPA) would like to share the timeline and clarify our role regarding Chenery Slow Street. For background, we are an all-volunteer organization whose goal is to improve Glen Park by facilitating connections between our neighbors and city agencies & officials. The GPA has quarterly membership meetings, alternating between in-person at the Rec Center and online via Zoom. We also have monthly board meetings with published minutes where neighbors are welcome to attend or present matters of local interest.
At our January 2023 board meeting, we were presented with 120 signatures from neighbors who said they’d been caught unaware when Chenery Street was removed from the Slow Street program and sought an opportunity to speak out for its reinstatement. In light of this, we wrote a letter asking SFMTA staff to reconsider their decision until fuller community outreach could be conducted. They replied with an offer to conduct a traffic study and give all neighbors an opportunity to be heard before making a final decision.
In February 2023, GPA board members met for a walk with Surrey Street neighbors opposed to Chenery Slow Street. After hearing their concerns, we invited them to speak to the full GPA board at our March 2023 meeting.
Also in February 2023, we learned that SFMTA staff recommended reinstating the Chenery Slow Street and added it to the SFMTA Board agenda without either the promised traffic study or neighborhood outreach.
Supporters and opponents of the permanent Slow Street met together at the March 2023 GPA board meeting. After hearing opponents’ concerns, the supporters asked SFMTA to postpone consideration of Chenery Slow Street until more study could be done; and the Chenery Street item was indeed removed from the March SFMTA agenda.
The GPA then added the topic of slow streets to the April quarterly membership meeting and invited SFMTA staff to discuss this topic further. On April 20, the SFMTA will attend the GPA’s quarterly membership meeting, which will be held via Zoom, and give neighbors from all sides an opportunity to be heard.
Supporters and opponents all agree a traffic study is warranted, and the GPA will be asking about that promised step when introducing MTA staff at the meeting. All neighbors want safer streets overall, a goal presumably shared by MTA itself.
Here are some important links we’d like to share in advance:
- The meeting registration link
- A presentation on the Chenery Slow Street from SFMTA
- If you have more questions that aren’t addressed in the above document, send them to info@glenparkassociation.org. We are sending all feedback to SFMTA in advance of the meeting
We look forward to seeing you all!
Sincerely,
The Glen Park Association Board
Hilary Schiraldi, President
www.glenparkassociation.org