San Francisco’s Tenderloin district will soon have a 17-block ‘Yellow Brick Road’ connecting strategic points in the neighborhood and designed with kids in mind. It will connect a variety of schools, afterschool programs, community centers, parks, and youth programs.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Supervisor Matt Haney’s measure proposing the project, which came after a more temporary version faded away. A group of Latina mothers from La Voz created the first iteration in 2008, which lasted 2 years until it had to be removed due to maintenance issues. The new Yellow Brick Road is to be made of a durable thermoplastic used for road markings, which has a lifespan of 5-7 years.
The Yellow Brick Road is coming back! Find out how you can help the Yellow Brick Road extend through 13 blocks in the Tenderloin. 💛 💫 🚶‍♀️
đź”— https://t.co/UFQnkEeciP#TenderloinSF #TLTogether #TLTransforms
w/ @TLCBD @tl_merchants @VisionZeroSF
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📷 by (IG)@envelopead pic.twitter.com/zejhglBTMm— Sunday Streets SF (@SundayStreets) December 23, 2021
The Board’s agenda approving the measure cites the Tenderloin’s 3,500 children as the motivation for the Yellow Brick Road. They emphasize that the neighborhood’s high rates of violent crime and drug offenses lead to the need for more safe corridors, especially around schools.
“To this day, residents who grew up with the Yellow Brick Road recount joyful memories skipping from brick to brick, and its visual representation of neighborhood community, camaraderie and support,” they write.
“The Yellow Brick Road pilot program has demonstrated proof of concept as a visual tool for the TLCBD Safe Passage resident ambassadors (Corner Captains) to promote a culture of safety, building relationships and agreements with people selling drugs on the street to be respectful or move to a different location during periods when kids were present.”
The Board has yet to set a date for the Yellow Brick Road’s installation, simply stating that they will “take all actions necessary to implement the intent of this Resolution.”
Featured image: Photo by Felipe Correia on Unsplash