After months of debate and meetings, traffic changes are coming to the West Portal neighborhood to make the area safer for those who take public transit and walk, transit planners said.
Directors on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board last week approved traffic changes near the entrance of the Muni Metro subway entrance at West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street, which includes new Muni-only lanes, some turn restrictions, and traffic calming along nearby streets.
New red Muni-only lanes will be installed on a segment of West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street to reinforce new turn restrictions. At the intersection, vehicles can no longer turn left from northbound West Portal Avenue and westbound Ulloa Street. Additionally, the southbound left turn from West Portal Avenue to Vicente Street will be prohibited.
The traffic changes come just four months after a family of four died in March after a vehicle struck and killed the family as they were waiting for a bus on the sidewalk at Ulloa Street and Lenox Way.
After the death of the family, city leaders, including District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who represents the West Portal neighborhood and Mayor London Breed, asked the SFMTA to develop a proposal to make the area safer. That original plan released in late March drew criticism from West Portal merchants who said the plan would hurt businesses in the corridor and that the proposal was done quickly without input from merchants.
The Welcoming West Portal Committee was formed which included merchants, transit advocates and engineers to refine the plan. The committee worked with the SFMTA to make changes to the proposal to meet the needs of the community and that makes the streets safer for transit riders and people walking, District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar said:
“What is presented to you is the result of a lot of work that has been done in the community to try to minimize the risks, protect pedestrians and bicycles and to be able to make it easier for trains to get into the station which is the goal that we all share for the very busy and successful commercial corridor, which is at the heart of District 7.”
Ken Spielman, a retired civil engineer who worked for the Department of Public Works and sat on the committee, said he supported the staff recommendation:
“Safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and all vehicles is my top priority for a wonderful West Portal neighborhood.”
Spielman added that following the implementation of the traffic changes, the SFMTA should evaluate nearby streets as traffic patterns could change due to the new restrictions.
Will Baumgardner, a resident on Wawaona Street and a transportation engineer, who also sat on the committee, said the staff recommendation represented “a sensible and balanced compromise,” adding:
“This plan does include several additional benefits, both at the crash site and in the neighborhood. This plan also provides operational improvements for transit, while limiting potential for spillover into adjacent residential streets.”
Part of the proposal also includes making Lenox Way a one-way street where vehicles would only be allowed to travel southbound on the street. Brisson said residents opposed the street configuration as the change could induce speed vehicles and vehicles being blocked by Muni transit due to a crossover track in front of Lenox Way. Brisson said that crossover is rarely used.
Transit advocates said they were “disappointed” with the approval of the staff recommendation.
Part of a statement from the San Francisco Transit Riders said:
“Rather than prioritizing the needs of the tens of thousands of people who ride West Portal’s transit lines each day, and the safety of people who bike and walk through the area, the Board decided to approve a watered-down plan that will not significantly address our city’s Vision Zero and Transit First priorities.”
Meglar said she knows that that the final proposal will still draw opposition, adding:
“We still have folks who oppose it from both sides, folks who think it doesn’t go far enough in addressing the risks, and then folks who think nothing should happen At this intersection, I think, at least, we are somewhere in the middle.”
Brisson said traffic changes and calming measures will not happen until the L Taraval rail services resume service in the fall while changes to Lenox Way will occur before the start of the school year.
