Today in History: The Making of the Geary Expressway

Today in History: The Making of the Geary Expressway
By Sophia Scherr

Crowds surround streetcars during their inaugural day of service, December 28, 1912 (SFMTA Photo Archives)

The SFMTA recently celebrated Muni’s 108th Anniversary on December 28, the date when streetcar service was inaugurated along Geary Street between downtown and 33rd Avenue on the A and B lines in 1912. This vital corridor is now experiencing its latest transformation. But first, some history:

Upon opening, for the cost of a nickel, the Geary streetcars went all the way to the Ocean Beach carousel, candy stands and other rides and amusements that would later be known as “Playland at the Beach.” Residences and shops began to spring up amid the sand dunes in the Outer Richmond, as transit connected downtown to the Richmond neighborhoods, Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach.

The public transit network expanded in the years following this inaugural service through innovative projects like the completion of the Twin Peaks Tunnel and the establishment of the J Church and other lines. Ridership on Geary quickly became among the highest in San Francisco. Today Muni’s 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid continue to serve our highest volumes of customers, with more than 56,000 pre-pandemic daily riders expected to return once public health orders are lifted.

 Muni's first motor bus (#01) meets streetcar 101 at the end of the A-Geary streetcar line on Fulton Street and 10th Avenue in December 1917. (SFMTA Photo Archives)

With the rise in car ownership, however, "auto fever" demands for automobile-centric developments ushered in the removal of rail infrastructure throughout the City beginning in the 1940s, implementing freeways and expressways in their place. The so-called “urban renewal” campaign of the 1960s and ‘70s also included construction of the eight-lane Geary Expressway, devastating communities by razing homes and storefronts, thereby displacing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) residents, especially in the Fillmore and Japantown. The Geary Expressway continues to divide these communities as highway-like conditions make it difficult for people walking to cross the street.

 

View east from Presidio Avenue showing the construction of the Geary Expressway tunnel between Presidio and Masonic.

The Geary Rapid Project aims to bring these neighborhoods much-needed transit, pedestrian safety and civic improvements along a 3-mile stretch of the corridor, extending from Market to Stanyan streets, with construction expected to wrap up in summer 2021. This latest transformation comes long after priorities shifted from the mid-20th century focus that originally led to the construction of the Geary Expressway.

While we can never undo all the harm caused by this roadway, the Geary Rapid Project brings transit improvements and safety for people walking, developed in partnership with the communities most affected by the Geary Expressway construction. These improvements include travel time-reducing transit lanes, bus-bulb outs that reduce crossing distances for people walking and traffic signal upgrades. The project also includes a host of Vision Zero safety and accessibility benefits, to calm the expressway and make this high-injury corridor safer for people walking.  

Construction on Geary has continued smoothly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the project reached several, major milestones in 2020:

• 1.5 miles of sewer and 1.8 miles of water upgrades were completed,
• 30 new bulb-outs were installed and
• crews removed the Steiner pedestrian bridge over Memorial Day weekend (see a time-lapse video here). The bridge will be replaced with improved surface crosswalks with larger pedestrian medians, including a new crosswalk on the east side of the intersection.

In addition to these improvements, “Muni head-start traffic signals” were recently turned on along Geary at 25th, 20th and 15th avenues as part of the 38 Geary Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes project. The signals give the 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid the go-ahead to start before other traffic, while also giving a head start to people walking across the street. The and new temporary transit lanes will be a welcome time-saver and help address crowding for people making essential trips as San Francisco begins reopening.

A rendering shows people crossing Geary using the median crossing being built at Geary and Buchanan streets.

Final touches on Geary include a special community-centered crosswalk with decorative panels at Buchanan Street. The crosswalk symbolizes the re-connection of the two communities (Japantown and the Fillmore) that were separated by the Geary Expressway. The crosswalk design and development resulted from a close collaboration between the SFMTA and the local communities as a part of our commitment to better serve the city’s residents.

As the Geary Rapid Project wraps up construction later this year on time and on budget, we look forward to cutting the ribbon on a better Geary that both Muni customers and people walking can enjoy once San Francisco opens again.

 

 

Published January 07, 2021 at 09:39PM
https://ift.tt/3s3g3PU

Why Does Construction Take So Long?

Why Does Construction Take So Long?
By Amy Fowler

Tired of construction in San Francisco? You are not alone. With so many city projects and private developments raising dust across the city, our iconic skyline can more closely resemble a giant Erector set than a world-class city. Without these necessary upgrades, however, roads would crumble, traffic signals would be stymied by aging technology and century-old sewer and water pipes would be vulnerable to earthquakes and climate change.

 

New pedestrian refuge island under construction at Geary Boulevard and Steiner Street as part of the Geary Rapid Project.

But why does construction take so darn long?

There are many factors that can turn a seemingly simple project into an extraordinarily complex undertaking. Chief among them is that many SFMTA projects are done in the public right of way. Unlike private developments that are usually self-contained, our projects happen in areas where people need to walk, drive, bike and take transit.

Considerations like traffic control, maneuvering around existing utilities, providing adequate space for construction crews to work and maintaining access to neighboring businesses and homes all take a considerable amount of coordination. There may also be impacts to transit that require relocating a bus stop or safely rerouting people walking around construction sites. Support from utilities is often required when working around existing electrical wires, or additional SFMTA staff may be needed to isolate the overhead contact system that powers our zero-emissions electric-trolley buses.

There are also trade-offs to work out, like storing construction materials in a location that’s close enough for crews to work efficiently without causing too great a disruption to the neighborhood. And on busy thoroughfares like Van Ness Avenue or Geary Boulevard, all the work must happen within limited hours of the day to maintain traffic flow.

Every element of a project must be sequenced properly so that all the parts can move in sync. It’s like tipping over a stack of dominoes: if one of those dominoes gets moved due to a conflict, schedules or crews may need to be reshuffled to keep the overall work from being delayed.

So what about those trenches that are dug up, filled and then re-dug?

Underground utility work like replacing aging water or sewer mains is time-consuming and often requires trenches to be opened, covered and opened again. First, smaller holes are dug—a process called “potholing”—to determine the location of any existing utilities that may not appear accurately on utility records, including electric or gas lines. Then the work trench is carefully excavated, and any old or abandoned utilities that are in conflict are removed before the new pipes can be installed. In some cases, the project must be redesigned if unforeseen obstacles cannot simply be removed.

Water pipes must be disinfected and tested before reconnecting a property’s water service to a newly installed main; on some blocks there may be dozens of individual switchovers. Trenches must be covered the at the end of each shift for safety reasons and to restore travel lanes to vehicle traffic. Only when these steps are complete can crews restore the work area with a strong concrete base above the trenches and repave the roadway.

Another reason projects can be lengthy lies in the city’s excavation code, which aims to coordinate agencies’ work. The SFMTA works in close collaboration with our city partners in the Planning Department, Public Utilities Commission and Public Works to combine utility, transit, safety and streetscaping improvements into one package—which can sometimes make a project longer but means we don’t have to come back and tear up the road again every few years. Coordinating transit improvement projects with other planned work can therefor reduce overall disruption to communities and save money by reducing the amount of excavation needed.

Projects like Central Subway and the Van Ness, Geary Rapid and L Taraval Improvement are no exception when it comes to complexity. Each project has its own unique challenges based on existing conditions, scope of work and community considerations that can affect how work is sequenced.  

The SFMTA works closely with contractors, local businesses and residents to minimize construction impacts to the community. We know how difficult construction can be when it’s right at your doorstep, and we’re grateful for your patience as we work to build a better San Francisco.  

A Muni bus sign encourages visitors to Japantown, part of the Geary Rapid Project’s business support program. SFMTA projects include construction mitigation plans tailored to suit the local neighborhood and offset potential impacts.

Published January 06, 2021 at 08:44PM
https://ift.tt/3rXQ501

22 Fillmore Moves to Mission Bay, Makes Way for the 55 Dogpatch

22 Fillmore Moves to Mission Bay, Makes Way for the 55 Dogpatch
By Erin McMillan

Starting Saturday, January 23, the eastern section of the 22 Fillmore will shift its route to begin serving Mission Bay. Utilizing the new transit and street amenities along 16th Street, the 22 Fillmore will travel east from the Mission to 3rd Street to serve medical facilities and the growing residential and commercial areas in the Mission Bay neighborhood. In addition to increasing service to the Mission Bay neighborhood, this move will provide an improved east-west connector from the Mission neighborhood to Mission Bay, increasing transit access to jobs and healthcare services. This 5+ mile bus route serves nearly 18,000 daily customers from the Marina through the Mission and soon to Mission Bay, improving Muni service to all the neighborhoods in between.

Start of the 55 Dogpatch

Moving the eastern segment of the 22 Fillmore to Mission Bay provided an opportunity to work with the communities of Potrero Hill and the Dogpatch to find ways to improve transportation in their neighborhoods. Beginning with an initial assessment of transportation options and potential future development in the area, SFMTA worked to find what type of transit service would best serve these neighborhoods. After a few years of research and extensive outreach, the community-informed 55 Dogpatch was born as a new Muni route to maintain and enhance transit connections between 16th St Mission BART, Potrero Hill and the Dogpatch. Service on the 55 Dogpatch will also begin on Saturday, January 23.

These adjustments to Muni service comes after the completion of the first phase of the multi-agency 16th Street Improvement Project from Potrero Avenue to 3rd Street that includes new signalized intersections, new transit islands and transit bulbs for safer and more efficient bus boarding, new pedestrian bulbs to reduce crossing distances for people walking, new ADA ramps at each intersection, new street lights to illuminate the streets, 50 new trees along 16th street, curb-to curb paving and new sewer and water pipes. The completion of this phase means a safer and overall more pleasant experience for the community, Muni customers and people walking. This project made community-informed improvements to address the needs of current and future residents and is part of Muni Forward, an initiative to create a safe, reliable and comfortable experience on and off transit.

Additional information about all service changes that are planned to begin on Saturday, January 23 can be found on our blog.

Published January 05, 2021 at 10:31PM
https://ift.tt/3pRKXbV

Get Active with Your New Year’s Resolution

Get Active with Your New Year’s Resolution
By Benjamin Barnett

Do you want to make a change in 2021 that reaps rewards? An easy way to do that is to pick an active travel option for your trips around town. Sticking to a New Year’s resolution can be hard to do, but choosing an active way to get around is one small thing that can make a big difference.

“Active mobility” is the industry term that describes how people move around the city using any non-motorized means of physical activity. The best-known examples of active mobility are walking and bicycling, though other modes include running, skateboarding, scooters and roller skates. Whatever way you choose to be active when you are going to the grocery store, the doctor or to other essential places, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.

Staying Healthy

One benefit of choosing active mobility is stress reduction. Making your trips by foot, bicycle or skateboard gets your heart rate up and brings your stress levels down. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a great deal of additional stress into our lives. We’re not only juggling multiple roles at home and the associated time constraints that places on us, we’re also worried about ourselves and our families becoming ill, while also dealing with economic and emotional issues.

Active modes of transportation can also help protect you from serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack, some cancers, depression, diabetes, obesity and arthritis. Riding a bike is healthy, fun and a low-impact form of exercise for all ages. Walking is easy to fit into your daily routine by strolling to shops, parks, school or work. It also reduces negative health problems that can arise from inactive and sedentary lifestyles. The US Centers for Disease Control recommend increasing frequency of active transportation as a great way to stay healthy and improve physical fitness.

Better for the Environment

Another benefit of active mobility is reducing greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming. Every year, a typical American car emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Rising automobile use is increasing these greenhouse gas emissions and escalating the rate at which the Earth’s atmosphere is reaching a climate tipping point. Active mobility lowers daily greenhouse gas emissions, helping us back away from that tipping point.

You’ll also be reducing air and noise pollution by making your trips out and about more physically active. Air pollution negatively affects human health and the environment causing acid rain, excessive algae growth in bodies of water, haze, wildlife deaths, thinning of Earth’s ozone layer, crop damage and global climate change. Noise pollution disrupts ecosystems and wildlife, as well as the lives of people in urban and suburban areas. Active mobility reduces air and noise pollution by replacing car trips that produce greenhouse gases and noise, benefiting the environment and urban ecosystems.

Make a Better Choice

And of course, you benefit your neighbor when you choose  an active mode of transportation to get around. You free up space on Muni for those who have no other options. You also avoid traffic delays and can enjoy seeing your city from a different perspective. With this easy resolution, you’ll be able to emerge from these unprecedented times with a change that you can be proud of.

Published December 30, 2020 at 06:40PM
https://ift.tt/3aPbgvg

New Equity Toolkit Helps SFMTA Improve Access

New Equity Toolkit Helps SFMTA Improve Access
By Mariana Maguire

The SFMTA’s Equity Toolkit helps us improve Muni service for San Francisco’s most transit-dependent residents and essential workers. Using data layered with mapping we are able to improve access to jobs and key destinations by identifying and fixing gaps in service. Our Equity Toolkit helps us serve San Franciscans better.

The toolkit focuses on San Francisco’s nine neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy, including the Inner Mission, Outer Mission/Excelsior, Visitacion Valley, Bayview/Hunters Point, Oceanview-Ingleside, Chinatown, Tenderloin, Western Addition and Treasure Island. It’s part of SFMTA’s Transportation Recovery Plan for rebuilding our transportation system for a strong, lasting recovery that is more just and equitable for historically marginalized communities.

For many of our essential workers, COVID-19 is not only a health crisis, it is an economic crisis too. Economic and public health data show that most of our essential workers live in historically underserved equity strategy neighborhoods. If they are dependent on public transportation and can’t get to work reliably, not only does the city suffer, those workers could lose their jobs. That’s why improving job access for our essential workers is so important.

The Equity Toolkit uses transit service data from the six regional transit agencies – SFMTA, BART, SamTrans, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit and Caltrain. The data includes routes, schedules and frequencies. This show us how far a customer can get within 30, 45 and 60 minutes from key neighborhood locations within neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy. We can compare job access for transit riders before and during the pandemic, and gauge how our service changes affect access. We can also now detect gaps that we couldn’t before and make better decisions for future Muni service.

Image from SFMTA’s Equity Toolkit showing information for the Bayview neighborhood post-Shelter-in-Place.

So far, the Toolkit shows that access to jobs and services via public transportation is down in nearly every neighborhood in the city since we started the Muni Core Service Plan in March. That plan prioritized service for high-ridership Muni routes, transportation-dependent populations and connections to essential jobs and services. As a result, people living in neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy currently have more Muni service than people in other neighborhoods, who generally have more alternatives to public transit.

For example, in the Bayview, where there is a high concentration of essential workers, the existing Core Service Plan has made essential jobs within a 30-minute commute 12% more accessible than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Jobs within a 45-minute commute are 55% more accessible.  The Equity Toolkit shows that we still have work to do to ensure adequate Muni service for those who need it most right now. We will continue to use what we learn to improve our Core Service Plan and increase access to essential jobs and services for San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities.

In the coming weeks we will have more blog articles that dive deeper into the neighborhood-specific findings from the Equity Toolkit.

Published December 23, 2020 at 07:52PM
https://ift.tt/3hqhTFL

New Muni Route to Serve Bayview and Hunters Point Neighborhoods

New Muni Route to Serve Bayview and Hunters Point Neighborhoods
By Enrique Aguilar

Starting in early 2021, Muni’s new 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express line will improve Downtown access, reduce commute times and add transit capacity for residents of the Bayview and Hunters Point neighborhoods. This community-designed route connects the hilly communities east of Third Street to Downtown and was chosen by residents who voted in a fall 2020 survey. The process and the route demonstrates our commitment to working with communities to provide equitable Muni service. 

Launching the new route coincides with the gradual return of Muni Metro rail service. Returning to rail frees up enough buses to run new service, like the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express and new 27 Bryant route, and improve frequency on other key routes. Service on the 15 will run every 10 minutes from approximately 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekends. 

Map of new 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express route

The Muni Service Equity Strategy highlights the importance of improving transit performance in neighborhoods with high percentages of low-income households and people of color. The Bayview is San Francisco’s most diverse neighborhood, comprised of 27% African Americans, 37% Asian and Pacific Islanders, 24% Latinx, 12% seniors, 24% youth and over 30% of households having less than $30,000 in annual income. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Southeast neighborhoods the hardest. Prioritizing transportation for those with the fewest options and in an area with a high concentration of essential workers is a critical principle in our Transportation Recovery Plan. Residents often endure long travel times to get to jobs, health care, education and other essential trips whose destination is not within the neighborhood. Addressing long and unreliable travel times is the most consistent request we receive from customers when identifying needed improvements. The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express directly responds to this feedback by following the community’s lead in identifying the best way to link the Bayview neighborhood to downtown San Francisco.   

 

 

Muni bus on 3rd Street in Bayview 

Community Collaboration 

The SFMTA has been working in collaboration with residents of the Bayview and Hunters Point community to improve transportation. Last year the SFMTA adopted the Bayview Community Based Transportation Plan, which identifies transportation priorities that reflect community values and support a growing and resilient Bayview.  

In coordination with District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton’s Office, the SFMTA project team formed a working group comprised of community leaders. In response to COVID-19 physical distancing constraints, the group met virtually and had regular meetings starting in August 2020. The group structure allowed for deep discussions that were critical in identifying key priorities and destinations and provided other important feedback to shape three route alternatives. Those three alternatives were put to a community vote with the preferred option being one that residents felt provided service closer to their homes, made trips shorter and served a part of the community where service is most needed. 

We thank Supervisor Shamann Walton’s office, the working group members and all those whose voted on a preferred route – your voice helped us identify and build this exciting new Muni line to serve the community.  

Published December 22, 2020 at 12:09AM
https://ift.tt/3nH6nrB

By the numbers: Protecting Operator and Customer Health and Safety

By the numbers: Protecting Operator and Customer Health and Safety
By Emily Stefiuk

The SFMTA has responded to COVID-19 by working to minimize the risk of transmission and protect the health and safety of our employees and the public. Health and safety is SFMTA’s Transportation Recovery Plan’s number one priority.  

To assess how we are doing, the SFMTA has been monitoring data through our Transportation Recovery Plan Dashboards. The Objective 1 dashboard compiles metrics associated with health and safety, including sanitizing vehicles and facilities, promoting physical distancing, and encouraging mask compliance. Here’s what we’re seeing:  

• As of December 6, operator reported mask-related incidents are down 92% from the peak in April.  

• Mask compliance on Muni is at an all-time high at 96% of observed passengers wearing masks.  

• We’ve upped our mask distribution – our Transit Information Program (TIP) staff distributed over 14,000 masks to customers the week of November 16.  

• To date, no COVID-19 positive cases have been traced to riding Muni.  

These findings are even more important as the city and the region have been experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases after the Thanksgiving holiday. While there is an alarming surge in cases, it's important to recognize that our science-based best practices paired with the public's embrace of critical interventions like wearing a face masks or face coverings allows us to keep our system running for those who need us during this unprecedent time. Additionally, we are maintaining a safe and healthy system so that when increased activity is permitted once again, Muni will be ready for you. 

These numbers reflect efforts that have been underway since the beginning of the pandemic to protect operator and customer health and safety. Since March, SFMTA has implemented mitigation measures that limit the possibility of exposure to, and transmission of, COVID-19. To encourage customers to practice good public health behavior throughout their journey, we launched our Ambassador Program in April and expanded it as the TIP program in September. TIP staff provide information to customers on best practices and alternatives to Muni like our recently-launched Essential Trip Card discount taxi program. TIP staff also provide the public with information about COVID-19 Muni Core Service, help manage crowding and distribute masks to customers that may have forgotten theirs.  

Other measures Muni has implemented include audio announcements and head signs on buses to remind customers that masks are required when riding Muni. We have also continued the sanitization practices we implemented at the onset of the pandemic. Vehicles return to our operating divisions at the end of each run, so each operator starts their shift with a sanitized vehicle.  

The metrics show that these measures and added precautions to ensure the health and safety of our employees and the public are paying off. As the pandemic continues, the SFMTA is committed to using data to inform our COVID response, service delivery, and budget decisions.  

Customer Reminders 

Remember, we still need your help. Help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by: 

• Staying home, except for essential trips.  

• Shopping locally and supporting your neighborhood businesses. 

• Wearing a face mask or face covering over your mouth and nose and maintaining physical distance such as leaving a seat open between you and anyone who is not in your household. 

• Use alternate transportation whenever possible – walk, bike or take a taxi – to save a seat on Muni for those who don’t have other options. 

If you do need to travel on Muni: 

• Please respect your Muni operator. They are working hard for you. 

• Face coverings are required on Muni. To avoid getting passed up, cover your nose and mouth with face cover or mask while you are waiting for Muni and on Muni. 

• Board by the back door unless you require assistance. 

• Give yourself extra time just in case. Your fare is good for two hours across multiple routes. 

Published December 19, 2020 at 02:00AM
https://ift.tt/2WAatFX

Tenderloin Streets Transform During COVID-19

Tenderloin Streets Transform During COVID-19
By Kimberly Leung

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people who live and work in the Tenderloin. As a result, the SFMTA has been working closely with District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney’s office, other city departments, the Tenderloin Traffic Safety Task Force and community members to address the public health issues and unique challenges in the neighborhood through innovative interventions.   

The Tenderloin is home to many of our most vulnerable communities including historically marginalized groups such as people with disabilities, residents of SROs and supportive housing and limited-English proficient communities. With every single street in the Tenderloin on the city’s High Injury Network -- the 13 percent of San Francisco streets that account for 75 percent of severe traffic injury collision and fatalities -- this critical neighborhood is the focus of our latest efforts to make the city safer for everyone. 

As part of the city’s COVID-19 response, the SFMTA prioritized changes to Tenderloin streets that aim to achieve immediate and long-term results. Our main priorities, based on community advocacy and feedback, are:  

1. Expand physical distancing space to alleviate public health concerns around overcrowding  
2. Support local community group activities and small businesses  

SFMTA COVID-19 projects in the Tenderloin: 

• Parking Lane Prohibitions and Block Closures – Temporary vehicle restrictions were implemented on major blocks in the neighborhood to support essential services like safe sleeping sites, physical distancing and meal services. This includes daily street closures on the 100 block of Golden Gate at St. Anthony’s and the 300 block of Ellis (except Saturday) in collaboration with GLIDE to provide the community with free meals programs. These closures have allowed the blocks to transform into vibrant, community spaces where residents and workers can receive COVID-19 testing, visit pop-up food pantries, take showers, get meals, and simply have outdoor space. 
• Outdoor Dining (Temporarily paused for our current Health Order) – The city’s Shared Spaces program is a vital lifeline for businesses by creating flexible uses of sidewalks, streets and outdoor spaces for restaurant and retail activities. In the Tenderloin, the program facilitated temporary closures on Larkin Street between Eddy and O’Farrell streets and previously parts of Golden Gate Avenue for Tenderloin restaurants and retail.  
• Play Streets – Through partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club, Tenderloin Community Benefit District and other community-based organizations, a weekly closure of Taylor Street between Leavenworth and Jones streets provides temporary car-free open space for children, seniors and Tenderloin neighbors to enjoy every Saturday. Play Streets have been successful in creating a space for children to play, for COVID-19 testing and resources and for neighbors to take a break outside.  
• Jones Street Physical Distancing Lanes – Between Golden Gate Avenue and O’Farrell Street, a lane was established to provide temporary walking and rolling space on a critical north-south connection in the neighborhood. The eastern parking lane and one vehicle lane on Jones Street were repurposed to provide this pedestrian walking space -- doubling the width of the sidewalk. 
• Turk Street Physical Distancing Zones – The sidewalks on Turk Street, a key east-west corridor in the neighborhood, have been expanded at intersections with high pedestrian volumes, including Jones, Leavenworth and Hyde streets so that people could physically distance themselves while waiting to cross the intersection. 

Upcoming Projects:  

• Golden Gate and Leavenworth Vision Zero Quick-Builds - The project goal of the Quick-Builds is to improve overall comfort and safety for those walking and bicycling on Golden Gate Avenue between Market and Polk streets and on Leavenworth Street between McAllister and Post streets. Please join us for the Virtual Open House for the Golden Gate and Leavenworth Quick-Build projects from December 15th through January 8th. The Virtual Open House will be hosted in seven languages reflecting the diversity of the community.  
• Tenderloin Neighborhood Traffic Safety Improvements - Building on past comprehensive neighborhood-wide efforts in the Tenderloin, including daylighting and signal retiming, we are proposing to reduce the neighborhood speed limit and implement “no turn on red” regulations. Studies show that lowering speeds greatly improves a pedestrian’s chance of survival in the event of a collision. Currently, most Tenderloin streets are 25 miles per hour, and now, the SFMTA is proposing to lower the neighborhood speed limit to 20 miles per hour. If approved, the Tenderloin will be the first neighborhood in San Francisco to have widespread speed reductions. 

Thank You Tenderloin Community! 

We want to express sincere appreciation and acknowledge the Tenderloin community groups who have been tenacious in advocating for traffic safety and travel options in their neighborhood: Tenderloin Traffic Safety Task Force, Tenderloin People’s Congress, Tenderloin Community Benefit District, Central City SRO Collaborative, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and many others. We are committed to being responsive and partnering with the community as we work through this crisis together.   

Published December 17, 2020 at 12:56AM
https://ift.tt/2Kyk51e

27 Bryant Returns to Serve Communities in Mission, SOMA and Tenderloin

27 Bryant Returns to Serve Communities in Mission, SOMA and Tenderloin
By Enrique Aguilar

Beginning on Saturday, January 23, the 27 Bryant will return to service with a route realignment that will improve service reliability by using temporary emergency transit lanes.  

The 27 Bryant makes critical connections for three of San Francisco’s Muni Service Equity Strategy neighborhoods that have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. The Tenderloin is one of most diverse and dense neighborhoods in San Francisco with many seniors, families, lower income households and persons with disabilities relying on transit. The 27 Bryant will soon travel directly to FoodsCo and Costco in SoMa to provide a connection to other food options. It will also stop just a couple of blocks away from the Mission Food Hub on Alabama Street in the Mission, an organization that provides free groceries to Latinx families.  

 

27 Bryant on Bryant Street at 20th St in the Mission  

With the anticipated return of rail in August, SFMTA had initially planned to prioritize the return of the 27 Bryant to service in fall 2020. The unexpected Muni Metro motorization, however, meant that the buses that would have gone to the 27 were put on rail lines instead. The upcoming phased return of rail service in early 2021 allows us to free up buses for the 27 Bryant so customers can again take this line to go grocery shopping, attend medical appointments, and access social services.  

Thank you to the community groups, especially in the Tenderloin, for continued advocacy for this essential lifeline throughout the last few months. To engage with community groups representing the neighborhoods served by the 27, staff provided updates at biweeky meetings and hosted a virtual open house in September, inviting key community stakeholders for feedback on proposed changes. 

During this emergency period, the 27 Bryant will be on a temporary modified route through SoMa that will travel southbound on Jones connecting to 8th Street between Market and Harrison streets and northbound on 7th Street between Market and Folsom Streets continuing on Leavenworth. The 27 route will not serve Ellis, Eddy, and 5th Streets.  

Map of temporary 27 Bryant modified route, the solid blue line indicates active route and dashed blue line indicates discontinued route. Muni and BART icons placed near Powell Station to display option to connect.

The temporary emergency transit lanes that are currently on 7th and 8th Streets restrict private automobiles so Muni service can keep moving. Prior to the pandemic, traffic congestion on 5th Street caused unreliable travel times that can cause long wait times during peak hours. By rerouting the 27 to use the transit lanes, it can help improve the reliability of the route by providing more consistent travel time in that segment and reduce the bunching and gapping that we often see on the 5th Street corridor. This is especially important during the pandemic when avoiding crowded buses is a priority for the SFMTA and riders alike.  

Over the next few months, feedback from the Tenderloin, SoMa, and Mission communities will help inform the proposal developed for the permanent route of the 27 Bryant. As for the 31 Balboa, we do not yet have a timeline for the return of this line. Please review the route map for more details including terminal changes and let us know if you’d like to receive updates or have questions or comments by contacting staff: 

Jean Long, Transit Planner, Jean.Long@SFMTA.com 

Enrique Aguilar, Public Information Officer, Enrique.Aguilar@SFMTA.com 

Published December 16, 2020 at 01:34AM
https://ift.tt/2Wg5muy

A City Responds: 2020 Annual Report

A City Responds: 2020 Annual Report
By Bradley Dunn

While there are many changes to our end of the year rituals and much uncertainty about the future, one tradition that continues is the San Francisco City Charter dictating that we release the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Annual Report.   

Like much of our work, the SFMTA’s Annual Report has made the transition online during this pandemic. 

By utilizing these online tools, we share interactive maps and dashboards to help show our Agency’s work like Slow Streets, Shared Spaces or our Key Performance Metrics.  

You can find the Annual Report and the hard work of our dedicated staff below.

Published December 15, 2020 at 01:03AM
https://ift.tt/34eCx65