Students use new, improved 29 Sunset stops on Sunset Boulevard.
This Transit Month, we’ll go behind the scenes of our work to make your trips safer and more reliable along Muni routes across the city.
Every week, we will spotlight a transit project and share how feedback and data have helped us meet community needs.
Today, we showcase how a campaign led by SFUSD students inspired a series of upgrades we made along the 29 Sunset.
Learn how community feedback helped us drive more reliable rides. And see how you can weigh in by Monday, Sept. 15 to shape proposals for the next six miles of the project.
Inspired by students: How riders from Lowell kickstarted the project
In 2019, the SFMTA was busy working on Muni Forward projects to make several routes quicker and more reliable. Lowell High School students knew too well that the 29 Sunset needed improvements like these.
Sometimes, the 29 Sunset was late or arrived too full to let on more passengers. That meant students were late for class or after-school activities. So, they started advocating to improve the route.
This included a campaign on Instagram to get students from other schools to share how they wanted to see the 29 Sunset improved. Hearing from others who take the bus to class and back was a good strategy, as the 29 Sunset route serves over 35 schools. They range from elementary schools to SF State and City College.
Instagram post from Lowell students' campaign to improve the 29 Sunset.
SFMTA staff met with these students. And we also chatted with other groups like the SFMTA’s Youth Transportation Advisory Board and the SF Human Rights Commission to hear about their experiences on the bus.
Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and outreach on the project was temporarily suspended. But in mid-2021, we resumed our efforts. At that point, we knew that a Public Works repaving project would soon come to Sunset Boulevard. So, we focused first on the western part of the route. This way, we could save money and avoid extra disruption by completing our improvements during the repaving work.
To ensure our upgrades made the greatest impact, we heard from hundreds of students, parents, seniors and other community members about their priorities for the route.
Meeting local needs: Quick-Build work to drive more reliable rides
The SFMTA Board of Directors approved the improvements planned between Baker Beach and Junipero Serra Boulevard. Since then, we’ve used Quick-Build construction to add some of these improvements. Buses on this part of the route are now quicker and more reliable thanks to:
- Moving bus stops on Sunset Boulevard. These new bus stops are located after the traffic signal. Before, the bus would stop to let riders on and off but then have to wait at a red light. Now, as soon as riders get on and off, the bus can continue on its way. That means fewer delays and a quicker ride. We also added transit shelters to all of these new stops. These updates will help riders avoid the rain and improve accessibility for seniors and others as they wait at stops.
- Removing some little-used stops. Many stops on the 29 Sunset were closer than the 800-foot minimum distance recommended by the SFMTA’s stop spacing guidelines. This created unnecessary travel time delays. Removing select stops that weren’t near major destinations or transit connections has helped reduce travel times and make the route more reliable.
In future years, we will add transit signal priority to traffic signals on Sunset Boulevard. This will give buses the green light before other vehicles, helping Muni move faster. We will also make other improvements such as "bulb" stops that are more accessible and comfortable for riders, improving the overall customer experience.
Now, we want your feedback on our next round of proposed upgrades. At this stop on Persia, a transit bulb could make it easier for elementary school students to board the 29.
Shape what's next by Sept. 15: How to share feedback on Phase 2 proposals
Now we’re focusing on how to improve the southern part of the 29 Sunset route. That’s the section between Junipero Serra Boulevard and the Bayview.
Last fall, we held a community listening tour. We heard feedback from hundreds of community members on how they would improve the route. We rode the bus with them, held project events and tabled at schools along the route.
We now have new proposals based on that feedback. They are designed to achieve several goals:
- More reliability: By decreasing delays, buses will be more reliable. That means fewer gaps between buses, which would reduce crowding and pass-ups of riders.
- Shorter travel times: Average speeds on the 29 Sunset are as low as 5 m.p.h. Quicker trips on the 29 Sunset would get riders where they are going faster. They would also save money by requiring fewer buses to maintain the same level of bus service.
- More well-furnished and visible bus stops: Adding better signage, lighting and shelters to some bus stops would make them easier to find and more comfortable.
- Improved traffic safety for everyone who travels on the corridor. Six streets on the route are part of the High Injury Network. This network is the 12% of city streets where 68% of all severe and fatal traffic collisions occur.
Now, we need to hear from you.
To learn more, you can:
- Read the proposal details
Then, share your feedback in a survey by Monday, September 15.
Prefer in-person? You can also visit any of our self-guided open houses from Aug. 20 – Sept. 10 to view the materials and share your feedback. Materials are available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Filipino. Choose the location most convenient for you:
- Ingleside Branch Library (1298 Ocean Avenue)
- Excelsior Branch Library (4400 Mission Street)
To stay involved on this community-driven project, you can also sign up for project updates.