Over the last couple years, a group called the "Safe Street Rebels" has taken it upon themselves to begin making what they call "guerilla traffic improvements" to several San Francisco streets.
Their efforts have usually come after a tragic crash or spike in issues for pedestrians or cyclists. Now, they're trying to try and slow down car traffic through one of the most popular bicycle routes in the city.
"The Wiggle" is a designated bike route through the DuBose Triangle neighborhood up to the Panhandle neighborhood of San Francisco. It's extremely popular but has also been a place where cyclists and drivers mix in what can be a frustrating way.
Earlier this week, the Safe Street Rebels group decided to install markers in the middle of the street along the start of the route on Steiner Street.
A Safe Street Rebel member agreed to speak with NBC Bay Area on the condition we did not identify them.
"We put the signs in the middle of the street because we wanted to slow traffic down. As you can see it's a highly trafficked corridor here,” one member said.
The group said the additions went up Tuesday morning. In the video they shared, it showed a combination of signs and yellow center line guides.
The group member told NBC Bay Area person that they also extended some of the red warning curbs to 20 feet at crosswalks to comply with a newly enacted "daylighting pedestrian safety" state law.
Their efforts got mixed reviews from some residents NBC Bay Area talked with on Thursday. The signs seemed mostly popular.
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"I loved them. I thought it was great for awareness and bike safety. A lot of pedestrians and bikes come through here,” said San Francisco resident Murphy Ellis. “And, there are also many cars so, it can be dangerous at times."
But extending the red curbs is a different story.
"Personally, I don't love it because we need parking in the neighborhood. But I understand. In 10 years, we won’t even have our cars,” said San Francisco resident Doug Hart.
While the red curbs remain, the signs in the middle of the street are already gone. All that's left are the bolt holes in the street where they were drilled in illegally.
A spokesperson for the SFMTA said their crews removed the unsanctioned signs Thursday morning. The SFMTA spokesman added the agency hasn't received any requests to have official city signs installed here.
The unsanctioned ones were removed because they didn't meet the SFMTA'S standards. The agency is also looking into what to do about the extended red curbs.
According to the Street Safety Rebel group , they said they are hoping their unsanctioned efforts will prompt a faster response on these issues from the city of San Francisco.
