June 13, 2007

Western SoMa Task Force

Meeting Notes by Charles Rivasplata

Pedestrian

The Western SoMa Town Hall Meeting is scheduled to be held on 27 June 2007 at Bessie Carmichael School. It is important for the group to have an idea of what is to be addressed and what the principal questions are.

Assessment of Current Conditions

The following issues of concern were listed by members at the meeting:

• Double or triple left turns are problematic as they pose dangers to pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Long blocks in SoMa are not conducive to pedestrian movement since the only safe crossings are at intersections, which are often as much as 500 feet apart on east-west streets.
• Pedestrian lighting and crossings should be better controlled at Roos Alley near Bessie Carmichael School. Also, Mambini needs a crosswalk.
• The traffic engineers should devise a third phase for right turns to avoid everyone turning right on red at key pedestrian intersections (free right).
• There is presently poor coordination between pedestrian planning and construction planning (on the street).
• Plant wells on 6^th Street are dangerous for pedestrians and grading should be introduced at all levels for the disabled).
• What are the specific characteristics for the Western SoMa that lend to specific Better Streets applications?
• Traffic calming could be implemented at areas where crossings are critical (for slowing down the traffic and making the area safer), as speed and traffic volumes are the most critical factors.
• Speeds on streets adjacent to the freeway, such as 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, should be slowed down to 20 mph.
• Pedestrian issues in SoMa often focus on just how safe and secure pedestrian activities are.
• There is a need to address areas that do not generate foot traffic – it is safer in areas with a significant level of pedestrian activity.
• There is a need to address severity of injuries in the SoMa area.
• Should right turns on red be provisionally banned in San Francisco?
• Would bulb-outs and shortened crossings help pedestrians?
• White zebra crossings should be strategically located at more crosswalks to promote safety.
• Compatible modes must be thoughtfully integrated with compatible land uses

Pedestrian to Bus Good

Bicycle to Bus Not so good

· A two-way Folsom could lead to better bus and pedestrian streets, while a two-way Howard could lead to better pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

· In order to get the SoMa analyzed, there is a need to force the issue of bicycle, pedestrian and transit within the SoMa network.

· Advance stop lines should be installed to make it safer for pedestrians (with respect to car and bike encroachment).

· More shelters and bicycles must be accommodated in the immediate area.

· One way to encourage slower streets is to narrow them, particularly on streets where trucks are prohibited.

· Are there distinct treatments in the SoMa area? Is there a unique urban fabric there?

· Bus shelters should have a distinct surface treatment that makes them safer. There is a general feeling that existing bus shelters are not safe, however, bus shelters are often viewed as magnets.

· In order to increase safety, bus shelters should be well lit.

Town Hall (Workshop) Exercise

· Mid-block crossing – put dots

· Corner bulbouts

· Sidewalk widenings

· Specific tool box for specific areas

· Objectives: existing conditions

- What do you experience?

- What do you want?

- What don't you want.

· How can we focus the effort and make it easier to use?

· Scheduled Workshops
No. 1. June 2007 - input on what is possible, very basic

No. 2. October 2007

No. 3. May 2008.

Stress that Muni, pedestrians, bicycles, cars are the major players. Should we get photos for display? We need visuals to get people thinking about the issues (e.g., pictures trigger the thought process).

The key questions to be asked are:

- How do you improve the pedestrian environment?

- How do you improve bicycle access to facilities?

- How do you improve transit?

- How do you improve the circulation system?

We need a tradeoff exercise where community members are asked how important x is if it has a clear cost attached to it.