Do Slow Streets and Open Streets need police enforcement?
Image: Participants in San Jose's VivaCalleSJ open streets event. Credit: 8-80 Cities
This post was researched and written by SVBC intern Emily Olson.
2020 was a unique year. A global pandemic changed how we moved around and used our streets (in particular implementing slow streets) and public space. The protests that erupted after the murder of George Floyd made us think differently about law enforcement. To create change within the system of law enforcement, it is imperative that we learn how to implement city programs without relying on their services. We must reevaluate how law enforcement should interact with our communities in order to create a more just, safe environment for all citizens, and we believe that implementing street programs that do not require police involvement is a forward step in this movement.
Not all cities have implemented Slow Streets programs. We know that implementing Slow Streets and Open Streets Events in your city is no small task. One reason we’ve heard is that local police need to be involved in “closing” streets. But, does a city need approval from its local police department? And if so, how involved should the police be in the closure? In the context of making our streets safe and welcoming for everyone, does police presence discourage Black, Indigenous, and People of Color from participating in Slow and Open Streets?
To give you a better sense of police involvement in different cities’ programs, here is a brief rundown of some cities that require police to carry out street closures and some that do not.
In Santa Cruz, according to their director of Open Streets Saskia Lucas, “Open Streets requires staffing, police, and barricades”. However, their newly launched Slow Streets program is designed to be self-enforcing, meaning the local law enforcement is not involved in maintaining them. Only signs and barriers are present to mark the street closures, and it is the collective responsibility of the community to uphold them. The local law enforcement is not involved in any step of this process.
Similarly, San Francisco, Redwood City, Palo Alto, and San Mateo’s Slow Streets programs are also self-enforcing, which means that they use signs and barriers to block off streets as opposed to law enforcement. Local police are not actively monitoring the areas designated for Slow Streets, but rather Slow Streets are enforced by signs that explain the concept and barriers that signal the closure. This self-enforcement helps maintain a more comfortable environment, as in one not watched over by the police, by reducing the need for law enforcement to be present.
Another example of police-less Slow Streets can be found in Oakland. Oakland has rolled out over 70 miles of street closures since March, yet have kept the program completely law enforcement free. Check out this article for more insight on Oakland’s police-free Slow Streets.
For a non-local example, we can look to the Slow Streets programs in Del Rey and Sawtelle, both located west of Los Angeles. These programs also have no police traffic enforcement attached to them, as heard from an LADOT spokesperson.
Additionally, here are a couple tips from California Walks’ Slow Streets Community-Centered Recommendations on how to effectively engage your whole community in the development of Slow Streets:
Implement SS in low-income communities and communities of color
Make the application process fair for all communities (no first come, first serve)
Develop goals for SS as a community through public forums
Provide information in multiple languages
Keep your community involved throughout the whole process
Get in touch with pre-existing community organizations
In involving the power of your entire community, it is more likely that you will be able to safely and effectively implement Slow Streets without relying on law enforcement.
As you can see, it is entirely possible to implement Slow Street programs that are self-enforcing. We encourage you to fight for these programs in your city, and we hope to be a great resource for you as you do so!
We also recommend these articles that provide more insight on police involvement with Open Street and Slow Street events:
Implement SS in low-income communities and communities of color
Make the application process fair for all communities (no first come, first serve)
Develop goals for SS as a community through public forums
Provide information in multiple languages
Keep your community involved throughout the whole process
Get in touch with pre-existing community organizations
In involving the power of your entire community, it is more likely that you will be able to safely and effectively implement Slow Streets without relying on law enforcement. As you can see, it is entirely possible to implement Slow Street programs that are self-enforcing. We encourage you to fight for these programs in your city, and we hope to be a great resource for you as you do so!We also recommend these articles that provide more insight on police involvement with Open Street and Slow Street events: