February 13, 2008Transportation Focus Group
Meeting Notes by Charles Rivasplata
Tom Radulovich chaired the focus group meeting, requesting that meeting participants briefly introduce themselves (Calendar Item 1). A total of eight individuals attended, most of them Western SoMa Task Force members. Joe Boss attended this meeting, largely to promote interest in the Eastern Neighborhoods (EN) Public Benefit Fund group, which has brought together representatives from different communities in the area.
The following bullets summarize many of the principal topics discussed at the meeting:
· Marc brought up the idea of prioritizing mid-block crossings in the Western SoMa SUD for the purposes of serving the most critical areas first. Crossings need to be prioritized on Seventh, Eighth, Howard and Folsom Streets. Marc also identified the need for pedestrian crossings on Ninth and Tenth Streets.
· A local resident expressed the need for better coordination between automobiles and bicycles in the area. She seemed to be primarily concerned with the rights of local motorists.
· Antoinette Stadlman asked about pedestrian crossing volume thresholds – at what point does it become a safety concern? She mentioned for example, critical volumes at Eleventh and Folsom Streets on Friday and Saturday nights.
· Tom asked Charles Rivasplata to give an overview of the most recent changes made to the Future Network Scenario map, a graphic that has seen a number of revisions over the past months, i.e., a work in progress (Calendar Item 2).
· Charles responded that changes to the map have focused on past recommendations: the addition of gateway treatments for off-ramps leading from the freeway; the softening of freeway symbols to place greater emphasis on local streets; and the distinction between bicycle lanes and bicycle routes on local streets.
· Tom questioned the representation of Folsom as a two-way street, given the Focus Group's passage of a motion in favor of transitioning the street to two-way. It was agreed that the next version of the map would include this as well as other changes made during the meeting.
· Marc expressed a desire to see better pedestrian facilities crossing between enclaves off of Ninth and Tenth Streets. Despite the regional nature of these streets, the group agreed that they need to be made safer for pedestrians and residents living in the area.
· Marc suggested that future graphics reflect the notion of phasing-in projects over a period of time, with the ultimate goal of reaching the future network scenario depicted in the map. For example, for the next meeting, staff should make suggested changes to the future network scenario map, converting Folsom, Howard, Seventh and Eighth Streets into two-way, with new crossings.
· Marc and Joe suggested that eventually, each phase in the improvement process could be represented by a scenario network map. In the interim, a priority list of the changes could be compiled on a separate page. This list would cover the phasing-in of two-way streets and mid-block crossings.
· Tom pointed out that the whole picture has to be defined in light of the EIR and EIS work, when the Task Force will need to be clear on what it wants to do.
· Marc addressed changes to Seventh and Eighth Streets (Calendar Item 3). He suggested a lane configuration similar to that found onValencia Street, with a bicycle lane and a traffic lane in both directions, and a left turn pocket in the middle.
· Marc and Tom pointed out that traffic on two-way streets can be slower than on one-way streets. Certainly, a transition from one-way to two-way can effectively slow traffic down.
· Tom explained that in the Tenderloin, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) worked with local community groups on a mobility plan that called for the conversion of some street segments to two-way: on Ellis, Eddy, Leavenworth, Jones, McAllister.
· Tom advocated having Seventh converted to a two-way street, strengthening its role as a cycling street with convenient connections to 16th Street. Similarly, in order to slow down traffic, Seventh could be made two-way north of Folsom (and the freeway off-ramps) and connect with McAllister north of Market.
· Joe cautioned that a number of years ago, there was local interest to slow down Seventh Street traffic north of Howard, but traffic engineers successfully argued that Seventh was a vital link connecting the freeway to downtown.
· Tom explained that the idea would be to still permit one-way traffic on Ninth and Tenth Streets, as well as on Bryant and Harrison, but to convert to two-way traffic on Folsom, Seventh and Eighth Streets.
· Marc recommended signalizing Seventh Street so that it can be converted to two-way traffic (with bicycle lanes) for its entire length. A motion on this proposal was presented and the focus group put it to a vote. The vote resulted in the following: 5 were for, 0 were against and 1 abstained (5 -0 -1).
· Tom advocated also converting Seventh Street to two-way traffic north of Market, effectively improving the intermodal connection in both directions between Muni/ BART and Golden Gate Transit, i.e., transferring passengers could take advantage of a central transfer point at Market and McAllister that would connect the Civic Center BART Station to Golden Gate Transit bus stops.
· On the other hand, Tom was uncertain of what to do with Eighth Street. He brought up MTA's earlier offer to reduce the number of lanes on this street from four to three between Howard and Folsom. He favored exploring options for Eighth.
· Marc floated the idea of not allowing for higher residential densities along Eighth until the street is converted to two-way traffic. In the meantime, other options could be addressed.
· Tom and Marc developed a motion for phasing-in improvements to Eighth with the overriding goal of making this street more neighborhood-serving:
- in the near-term, explore options for a contra flow lane and lane reduction;
- in the long-term, convert the street to two-way traffic.
The vote was taken and the result was 4 - 0 - 2 for Task Force members and 2 – 0 – 0 for members of the public.
· Next, Tom opened discussion concerning 11th and 12th Streets (Calendar Item 4). Marc pointed out that 12th does not really go anywhere, and that it should be converted to pedestrian use. Tom brought up the option of greening 12th Street: narrower lanes on 12th, bulbouts at 12th and Folsom, the reduction of asphalt, and the development of more green areas for pedestrians. Details need to be worked out on how this is configured.
· Paul Lord brought up the possibility of putting in a wide, green median in the middle of the street. Marc favored locating a green area on the south side of 12th (toward Division), perhaps allocating less sidewalk space on the north side of the street.
· With respect to 11th Street , Tom suggested that each block south of Market could have a different set of street treatments, according to the adjacent land use:
- Market to Mission -- leave as is;
- Mission to Howard -- locate mid-block crossing between enclaves;
- Howard to Harrison – locate on-street bus areas for night club patrons.
In addition, Tom suggested considering corner bulbouts.
· Paul brought up the continuing need for transit services on 11th Street , as well as for partygoer buses on certain blocks.
· In sum, Tom identified some objectives for 11th Street between Harrison and Folsom: the movement of buses and bicycles is facilitated (with left turn lanes); sidewalks are widened; and a striped crosswalk is located at Folsom and 11th.
· Joe mentioned a few areas of concern:
- What to do with streets that allow for long-term parking;
- How to represent the Task Force in his EN fund group -- it was decided that Marc would serve as the Task Force representative to his group.
· In sum, the Focus Group reiterated its commitment to seeing that the stretch of 11th from Mission to Folsom be greener and more pedestrian-oriented. Between Folsom and Harrison, treatments would center on preserving world class nighttime entertainment. Finally, South of Harrison, 11th Street would remain much the way it is now, however, there could be ways of making the intersection at Division safer.
· A motion was presented to adopt the aforementioned modifications to 11th Street. The vote was taken and it resulted in 4 - 0 - 2 for Task Force members (no members of the public were still present).
· Tom and Marc addressed issues related to Task Force review/organization of the draft Transportation Element of the Western SoMa Community Plan (Calendar Item 5) as presented by Paul and Charles. In contrast to brief comments made at the outset of the meeting, Tom suggested that the Element continue to consist of modally-based plan sections, but that additional plan sections address geographically-based issues:
- Regional Streets -- Ninth, Tenth, Harrison, Bryant
- Neighborhood Streets -- Howard, Folsom, Seventh, Eighth, 11th, 12th;
- Alleyways
· Tom and Marc noted that the regional streets could probably fall under a common set of policies, but that there would be diversity among neighborhood streets (requiring some street-by-street specialization).
· Marc expressed his interest in quantifying curb cut impacts on transit and alleyways.
The next Transportation Group meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, 12 March at the same time and location. All items on the agenda were covered, however, at the next meeting there will be further discussion regarding the Transportation Element.
