Project Proposals Up for Approval at SFMTA Board
The K Ingleside Rapid Project will be considered for approval by the SFMTA Board of Directors at their Tuesday, March 5 meeting.
The proposed project includes tools to improve transit travel times and reliability, increase train capacity and enhance traffic safety for everyone on Ocean Avenue, like:
Boarding Island Upgrades: At four stops, the project would lengthen and widen both boarding islands. This would allow us to improve stop amenities and operate two-car trains on the K Ingleside for its entire route – doubling capacity on Ocean Avenue and removing delay at West Portal.
Pedestrian Bulbs: At several intersections, sidewalk extensions would increase the visibility of people walking, shorten crossing distance for people walking, and slow turning vehicles. At uncontrolled intersections where there are no traffic signals or painted crosswalks, flashing beacons would be installed to further improve visibility, and crosswalks would be consolidated to guide people walking to safer crossing locations.
Transit Lane: To improve transit reliability and decrease travel times, the left track lane in both directions would be converted to a transit lane between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Frida Kahlo Way, connecting to the existing transit only areas east of Frida Kahlo Way.
Removing One Closely Spaced Transit Stop: The project would remove the transit stops in both directions on Ocean Avenue at Westgate Drive and Cerritos Avenue to improve reliability and travel times. This is the lowest ridership stop on the corridor, and it is just a block from the stop at Aptos Avenue, which is closer to destinations like Aptos Middle School and Aptos Park.
Turn Movement Changes: At most transit stops left turns would be prohibited. At several intersections left turn signals would be added. This change is proposed to keep transit stops clear of traffic and keep traffic flowing based on existing left-turn counts at intersections across the corridor. It also improves safety for people waiting to board the train and for people walking along Ocean Avenue.
Loading Zone Changes: We’ve worked with merchants to identify locations where parking spaces would be converted to new commercial, passenger and general loading zones on and near Ocean Avenue to help people and goods get to the curb while allowing traffic to continue moving. With few loading zones on Ocean Avenue today, double parking is common, which blocks traffic. By giving businesses and passengers a dedicated place to load, there should be less double parking, which will help keep traffic moving.
January’s Virtual Public Hearing and Feedback
Last month, we held a two-week virtual public hearing to gather additional feedback on the proposals. We received feedback via email, paper mail, phone calls and at in-person and virtual project events. Comments reflected support for the proposals, concerns and objections, and additional questions or feedback outside of the scope of the project.
Many community members shared strong support for transit lanes for the transit reliability and travel time improvements they would bring, as they have on 70 other miles of city streets. Others objected to the potential for increased congestion due to transit lanes, either on Ocean Avenue or nearby residential corridors. We heard substantial support for turn restrictions for their transit and safety benefits, some concerns that specific turn restrictions would make getting around the neighborhood more difficult, and requests for additional turn signals. Our analysis anticipates that the proposed transit lanes, paired with turn restrictions and left turn signals in key locations, will provide significant transit and safety benefits while allowing traffic to continue moving along the corridor at safe speeds.
We received many comments expressing support for expanding transit boarding islands on Ocean Avenue to double train capacity and provide improved stop amenities. Some members of the community expressed concern that removing parking spaces would hurt local businesses or lead to increased double parking on the corridor. To limit the potential for these impacts, the proposal includes loading zones to improve commercial access on the corridor, as well as 23 new parking spaces within a five-minute walk of the commercial areas at Victoria Street/Fairfield Way and Miramar Avenue.
Together, the project proposals would help us achieve the project goals of improving transit capacity and reliability and enhancing traffic safety on Ocean Avenue.
We will share additional information at the Tuesday, March 5 meeting, and you may learn more by reviewing the proposal elements in the final proposal drawings.
You may share your feedback on the final proposal at the SFMTA Board meeting or by email to MTABoard@SFMTA.com.