December 3, 2025
As soon as the week of January 12, 2026, crews will begin painting red transit lanes on Ocean Avenue in the eastbound direction and adding left turn restrictions. The transit lanes will be located in the left track lanes in both directions. They will extend between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Lee Avenue.
Why Transit Lanes?
We’re adding red transit lanes to make trips on the K Ingleside faster and more reliable. Transit lanes are a proven way to speed up Muni and reduce delays. Where we’ve made Muni Forward improvements like these, we’ve seen more people choose to ride Muni. These transit lanes were approved as part of the K Ingleside Rapid Project following several years of community outreach.
Keeping Ocean Avenue Traffic Moving
To make sure traffic keeps moving on Ocean Avenue, we’re also adding other improvements:
- Better traffic signal timing. Earlier this year, we retimed the traffic signals on Ocean Avenue to give longer green lights to people driving on Ocean Avenue.
- Left-turn restrictions at five locations. At five locations, left turns will be prohibited. This change is being implemented to keep transit stops clear of traffic and keep traffic flowing.
- New loading zones to decrease double parking. We worked with merchants to convert parking spaces to new loading zones. That helps people and goods get to the curb while allowing traffic to continue moving. With few loading zones on Ocean Avenue previously, double parking has been common. And double parking blocks traffic. By giving businesses and passengers a dedicated place to load, there should be less double parking, which will help keep traffic moving.
After we add the transit lanes, we will monitor and evaluate how these changes are working. We’ll use that information to consider if any modifications are necessary.
How to Use Transit Lanes
Once transit lanes are in effect, private vehicles are not allowed to use the transit lane with some exceptions. You are allowed to enter the transit lane to:
- Turn left at most intersections or driveways. Look for the dashed red area to see where to enter the lane. Make sure this area is clear. Then merge into the transit lane to make your turn.
- Drive around something blocking the right lane. If the right lane is blocked (e.g. by a double-parked car), you can briefly enter the transit lane to drive around it.
Transit lanes enforcement includes cameras mounted on Muni vehicles. Learn more about how to use transit lanes to keep Muni moving and avoid a ticket.
Left Turn Restrictions
SFMTA crews will also add left turn restrictions at five Ocean Avenue intersections.
These changes aim to keep transit stops clear of traffic. They also aim to keep all traffic flowing. They should also improve safety for people walking on Ocean Avenue or waiting to board the train.
When the SFMTA Board approved the K Ingleside Rapid Project last year, we proposed eliminating left turns at seven locations on Ocean Avenue. We plan to implement turn restrictions at five of these locations in November 2025. After the transit lane is painted beginning in early 2026 we will evaluate the impacts of the turn movement changes and transit lane.
We expect to implement five changes to turn movements in the coming weeks:
- No left turn from Ocean Avenue onto Brighton Avenue (southbound)
- No left turn from Ocean Avenue onto Plymouth Avenue (northbound)
- No left turn from Ocean Avenue onto Miramar Avenue (southbound)
- No left turn from Ocean Avenue onto Jules Avenue (southbound)
- No left turn from Ocean Avenue onto Lakewood Avenue (northbound)
Construction Details
Transit lanes will be painted at night to minimize disruption. We expect construction to take place between midnight at 5 a.m. every day. We expect to first paint the eastbound transit lane. Work will last two to three months for each direction.
While we expect this implementation work to have minimal impacts for people traveling through the area, watch for signs and workers, especially if you are traveling at night.
Traffic Impacts:
- While the transit lane is being painted, we expect one lane to remain open in each direction at all times. Drivers should use caution and be mindful of workers directing traffic.
- Signage and pavement markings will become effective as soon as they are added. People driving should follow all signage and pavement markings that they see.
Parking impacts:
- Temporary impacts to parking are possible. Please watch for signs.
Noise impacts:
- We do not expect significant noise during implementation.
Muni service impacts:
- We do not expect any impact to K Ingleside train service. During late night and early morning work, there may be times when some 91 Owl or K Ingleside Bus stop have temporarily moved. Follow posted signs. Transit lane painting will take place late at night when the train is not running.
This quick-build implementation follows the SFMTA Board’s approval of the K Ingleside Rapid Project in March 2024.
Questions? Contact project staff at RapidKProject@SFMTA.com or 415.646.2410.