I recommend the article (not just posting for a cite, it's an interesting one). But to summarize - SF has a lot of "curb cuts", sections of the curb that are cut out and lowered so a car can drive across the sidewalk to a driveway or garage. This prevents the sidewalks from becoming an inviting pedestrian space. First, pedestrians must be on a constant lookout for cars, or dodge cars that are parked on the sidewalk blocking the path. Second, it prevents the street scape from embracing the pedestrian experience, leading to what SPUR calls the "barren nature of the streets" in SF.
Ironically, these curb cuts break the street into small sections of curb that are too small for a legal parking spot, so there isn't really even much of a net gain in overall parking. The estimate I read was that each curb cut removes 2/3 of a street parking space.
San Francisco tends to get high walkability scores, but the experience is notably worse than many other dense cities. I realized this after living in Paris and Manhattan. There is something much more relaxing about streets when you don't have to dodge cars, and the streetscapes in those places are far more attractive (the link above shows some examples of why this is the case).
I'd say it hit me especially hard once I had kids (I live in SF), when the experience of dodging cars crossing the sidewalk became scary rather than just irritating. I realized I had to grip my kids hands pretty hard when walking on the sidewalk, because it is a perilous place for kids who can't be seen. I had a close call or two, when my kid ran ahead and a car was pulling into a driveway. Fortunately, the driver was alert. But again, this is the sidewalk. It's incredibly depressing that in a supposedly progressive, "pedestrian friendly" city, kids in most neighborhoods are less safe on the sidewalk than in a crosswalk, where they are at least visible.[1]
SF gets high walkability scores, and in some ways, it's deserved. It's certainly better than the exurbs and many other US cities. But these scores don't count the curb cuts or experience of the walk, and honestly, the curb cuts have really damaged the experience in SF.
[1] Edit - leaving this up since it was in my original post, but this isn't necessarily true. I feel the sidewalks are perilous, but I don't have evidence that sidewalks in curb cut heavy areas are more dangerous than crosswalks.
I noticed this when I visited Boston for the first time, after several years of living in SF. I was walking down a street--and I was delighted to keep walking, unmolested by oblivious motorists zooming out of driveways and garages. Too bad WalkScore doesn't consider this experience for its assessments.
Fortunately, SF does have quite a few boulevards and other urban areas that are like this, so the enjoyable experience you mentioned can be had here. A few are mentioned in the article.
They tend to be commercial "Main Street" type streets, though. Residential streets are much more likely to have curb cuts, and that's still an important part of the streetscape.
Crossing a busy sidewalks is just as annoying for drivers as it is for pedestrians (maybe more, pedestrian traffic doesn't back up through a light when a pedestrian has to wait for a car). More on street parking and less off-street parking solves that.
Ironically, these curb cuts break the street into small sections of curb that are too small for a legal parking spot, so there isn't really even much of a net gain in overall parking. The estimate I read was that each curb cut removes 2/3 of a street parking space.
The curb cuts create situations, where a legendary SF restaurant in a residential neighborhood becomes an "adventure" to drive to, because residential parking is so scarce. So a lot of its business comes from Tour Busses bringing in people from out of town to eat there.
http://www.spur.org/publications/urbanist-article/2008-06-01...
I recommend the article (not just posting for a cite, it's an interesting one). But to summarize - SF has a lot of "curb cuts", sections of the curb that are cut out and lowered so a car can drive across the sidewalk to a driveway or garage. This prevents the sidewalks from becoming an inviting pedestrian space. First, pedestrians must be on a constant lookout for cars, or dodge cars that are parked on the sidewalk blocking the path. Second, it prevents the street scape from embracing the pedestrian experience, leading to what SPUR calls the "barren nature of the streets" in SF.
Ironically, these curb cuts break the street into small sections of curb that are too small for a legal parking spot, so there isn't really even much of a net gain in overall parking. The estimate I read was that each curb cut removes 2/3 of a street parking space.
San Francisco tends to get high walkability scores, but the experience is notably worse than many other dense cities. I realized this after living in Paris and Manhattan. There is something much more relaxing about streets when you don't have to dodge cars, and the streetscapes in those places are far more attractive (the link above shows some examples of why this is the case).
I'd say it hit me especially hard once I had kids (I live in SF), when the experience of dodging cars crossing the sidewalk became scary rather than just irritating. I realized I had to grip my kids hands pretty hard when walking on the sidewalk, because it is a perilous place for kids who can't be seen. I had a close call or two, when my kid ran ahead and a car was pulling into a driveway. Fortunately, the driver was alert. But again, this is the sidewalk. It's incredibly depressing that in a supposedly progressive, "pedestrian friendly" city, kids in most neighborhoods are less safe on the sidewalk than in a crosswalk, where they are at least visible.[1]
SF gets high walkability scores, and in some ways, it's deserved. It's certainly better than the exurbs and many other US cities. But these scores don't count the curb cuts or experience of the walk, and honestly, the curb cuts have really damaged the experience in SF.
[1] Edit - leaving this up since it was in my original post, but this isn't necessarily true. I feel the sidewalks are perilous, but I don't have evidence that sidewalks in curb cut heavy areas are more dangerous than crosswalks.