A street barrier that was meant to help control traffic will be removed in San Francisco's Mission District following backlash from the community.
One of the complaints was that the street barrier at 24th and Shotwell streets was not just a physical barrier, but a psychological one for some residents.
“A lot of people you look at the stop sign and see the yellow one. They would go and never stop. That’s a problem for the neighborhood,” said Yamil Almari of George's Market.
While some neighbors told NBC Bay Area’s Christie Smith that the barriers do help them feel safer walking, some drivers said they would just go around.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The barriers were added to address concerns about drivers using Shotwell, which is a slow street as a cut through.
They also prompted an online petition by the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District.
“That just put a shock wave through our community because 24th street. Everyone knows that's where carnival takes place Cinco De Mayo, the Cesar Chavez Parade, The Dia Los Muertos, annual procession the San Francisco low rider annual council cruises,” said Roberto Hernandez of the Mission Food Hub.
Local
The petition noted the community was disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the barricade could hurt recovery.
It also said the barrier isn’t just physical but a psychological one that triggered the trauma of displacement.
“The Mission District has been ground zero for gentrification," Hernandez said.
SFMTA said they will be removing the barriers to enable community events, but they added there were five months of community outreach, 85% of people supported adding those barriers.
