… The fire department is worried about delayed emergency response times, but that’s not the only reason the plan is drawing controversy. Both purchases may not be tax money well spent. Public safety advocates are concerned the barriers may be in violation of state statute and city ordinance.

According to the California Vehicle Code, cities can only block streets in counties with more than 6 million people. San Francisco has just over 800,000 residents.

The state’s fire code also puts restrictions on where barriers can be placed to ensure fire trucks can turn around and respond to emergencies.

“The fire code specifies the type of access that fire trucks need to have for public safety,” said attorney Chris Dolan. “The vehicle code allows local governments to put limitations on traffic movement based on crime. So both of these have an effect. They need to be balanced.”

Dolan says the state’s vehicle code allows cities to block of streets because of criminal activity but says in order to do that, a public hearing must be held.

“That involves a public process including consultation with the fire department and other safety forces,” Dolan said. “Many of the residents may have unique needs, for example, a resident may be disabled and may need access to their garage.”

But aside from a private community meeting, it’s unclear if a public hearing was ever held.

“The mayor made the ultimate decision and she overrode the concerns of the fire department, and I understand why she did that,” said Ronen.

Ronen says the mayor made it clear they had to weigh all the options and determined the danger impacting the neighborhood took priority over response times. This brought welcomed relief to residents in the area who say the barriers limit prostitution and reduce violence on the streets.

“So the fact that you’re bringing this to light at this point is a really an important thing,” said Dolan. “These departments need to sit down now before a fire occurs.”

The I-Team reached out to the mayor’s office for an interview, but have yet to hear back. We’ve also contacted the State Fire Marshal, the San Francisco Fire Dept., and the Department of Motor Vehicles for further comment and clarification on current enforcement measures… (more)

The Fire Department is worried about delayed emergency response times… .purchases may not be tax payer money well spent… It may be in violation of State Statute and City Ordinance to place any barrier on this street…

2022 California Vehicle Code
Vehicle Code – VEH
Division 11 – Rules of the Road
Chapter 1 – Obedience to and Effect of Traffic Laws
Article 3 – Local Regulation
Section 21102.

Dolan: Cities can only block streets in counties with over 6 million people. SF has just over 800,000 residents.

The State’s fire code puts restrictions on where barriers can be placed to ensure fire trucks can turn around and respond to emergencies.

“The fire code specifies the type of access that fire trucks need to have for public safety. The vehicle code allows local governments to put limitations on traffic movement based on crime. So, both of these have an effect need to be balanced.” In order to do that a public hearing must be held.“

That requires a public process, including a consultation with the fire department and other safety forces. Many of the residents may have unique needs… a resident may be disabled and may need to have access to their garage 24 hours a day.” The Mayor made the ultimate decision.

“These departments need to sit down now before a fire occurs.”