Most of us were completely mystified by the change on Kirkham between 9th and 10th earlier this year. This was a place where two lanes became one and forced car drivers to give each other right of way with a single lane for about 20 feet – kind of like an artificial single lane bridge over a creek. I only learned this morning from the SF Standard that it had a name – the “neckdown.” According to this report, SFMTA is recommending removing it and saying it is a better tactic on less busy, less complicated traffic corridors. No kidding.
SF, just like all places with density, bureaucracies and politics, is a place where the squeaky wheel gets what it’s asking for. Sometimes, like here, a government agency like SFMTA forgets to check with those who are happy (all of us who traveled Kirkham Street daily) before they try something like this “neckdown.” I, for one, am pretty impressed with the report linked above where they monitored the action and have decided to recommend reversal. If you are too, let’s let the city know so they follow through on removing this silly thing. When you see something happening that doesn’t work for you, or you notice a problem in our City, make sure you let your supervisor know or simply call 311 or go to their website ( https://www.sf.gov/departments–311-customer-service-center) to get a hold of the San Francisco customer service. I’ve had lots of things fixed over the years – missing covers, dangling lines. We can all make this a better place with a little extra communication.
Cars pass through the “neckdown” at Kirkham Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in January 2025. | Source:Jesse Rogala/The Standard