March 2017 Update - Upcoming Open Houses / Trial Closure & Project Updates
Week-long “open streets” event on Octavia Street at Patricia’s Green
The SFMTA has scheduled a series of public events that coincide with a trial week-long closure to motor vehicles of Octavia Street adjacent to Patricia’s Green (Linden to Hayes), March 31st through April 7th. The combination of public outreach and an “open street” event is consistent with the neighborhood’s desire to improve the public realm at Patricia’s Green and stay actively engaged with the City’s plans for Octavia Boulevard.
Here are the highlights for the week:
SFMTA/DPW Outdoor Open House
WHAT:
Learn about traffic safety and streetscape projects in the neighborhood, including draft design concepts for
enhancing the northbound local lane on Octavia Boulevard between Page and Fell streets, and ideas for a
potential longer-duration pilot closure of Octavia St to motor vehicles at Patricia’s Green. The event format
and content will be the same for both days.
WHEN:
Saturday, April 1st – 1-4pm,
Wednesday, April 5th – 4-7pm
WHERE:
PROXY Event Space, Octavia Street between Linden and Hayes streets
SFMTA Octavia Boulevard Walk n’ Talk
WHAT:
Get out on your lunch break and walk the length of Octavia Blvd with us to discuss ideas for re-designing
the Boulevard’s local lanes, potential circulation changes at Market St and Octavia Boulevard, and the
Page Street Neighborway.
WHEN:
Thursday, April 6th – 11:30am-1:30pm
WHERE:
Meet at PROXY, Octavia Street between Linden and Hayes streets – light walk to Market Street and back
Additional activities during the week-long event will include a Walk to Work Day event, organized by
Walk SF, on the morning of April 6th (with a hub at Ritual Coffee). Also, PROXY is hosting outdoor movie
nights on both Friday evenings (March 31st and April 7th).
There will be other unscheduled activities during the week.
We also want to share some updates about other work underway in the neighborhood.
Page Street Neighborway
Having been a part of the Octavia Enhancement Project from the beginning, plans to improve Page Street for walking and bicycling have officially been re-branded as the Page Street Neighborway Project. After a successful open house on March 15, 2017, we’re working to develop the final project proposal before seeking legislative approval for the changes. The proposal currently calls for corner bulb-outs, a raised intersection at Buchannan Street, bikeway improvements, and strategies to reduce through traffic along the corridor. Please see the project website for more updates and materials presented at our joint SFMTA / Planning Dept. open house. This project website will also be used for "Phase Two" of the project, which spans Webster to Stanyan streets and will start public engagement and planning activities in 2018.
Construction for several intersection improvements coming
Beginning later this summer, you’ll notice construction along Octavia Blvd, Oak St, Laguna St, and Hayes St, involving re-paving, construction of new and modified median/refuge islands, bulb-outs at key crossings, and other safety improvements. There will be some temporary lane closures during this period, so we kindly ask for your patience during construction. We’ll provide more details as the construction date approaches.
Changes to travel lanes and parking on Gough, Fell, and Hayes streets
The SFMTA is proposing some minor changes to travel lanes and parking in the neighborhood to be heard at a public hearing on March 31st at 10 AM (San Francisco City Hall, Room 416).
On Gough Street between Hayes and Fell streets, we are proposing to convert the curb-side right turn lane into parking. Our analysis shows that two right turn lanes are neither functioning well nor necessary for traffic flow, and that a single lane will make it easier for Muni buses and other large vehicles to turn onto Fell Street. This will also simplify the pedestrian crossing at Gough and Fell streets and add approximately seven new parking spaces on Gough Street. This is being pursued at a pilot with parking regulated with two-hour time limits; if traffic operations are not adversely affected, as we expect, we will install parking meters and commercial loading spaces along this block.
We are also proposing an extension of the existing PM peak tow-away lane on Fell Street between Franklin and Gough streets to improve the flow of commute traffic and reduce crosswalk and intersection blocking. Finally, we’re proposing a small right turn pocket on Hayes Street, eastbound, approaching Gough Street – requiring the removal of two metered parking spaces. The new parking added to Gough Street around the corner will more than off-set the spaces removed – so we are hoping these changes result in a “win-win” for neighborhood safety, parking, and traffic flow.
Oak/Fell lane reduction concepts dropped for now
Previous proposals to reduce the through lanes on Oak and Fell streets (between Octavia Blvd and Gough St) and add angled parking are no longer being pursued at this time. In addition to hearing a number of concerns from neighborhood residents during 2016 outreach events, there will be ongoing construction activities and impacts related to the Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The SFMTA has decided to hold off on making significant traffic modifications to these key arterial streets, at least until the dust settles and the benefits of the BRT service are realized. We’ll take another look at these proposals once BRT construction is complete.
We’ve uploaded a new status map of the various projects within the Octavia Boulevard Enhancement project area and a summary of comments from previous outreach efforts to the Octavia Boulevard Enhancement Project website.