New trafficcalming plan for District on way

by George McConnell

Chicanes, circles, speed tables, gateways and bulbouts may sound mysterious, but residents of the central Richmond District are about to discover how they will help alleviate the neighborhood's mounting traffic turmoil. Speeding, for example, is endemic, according to a traffic study recently conducted by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (MTA).

"Even though stop signs are designed to slow traffic, cars routinely speed up between the signs. The posted speed limit is 25 m.p.h., but our data showed an average of 5 m.p.h. over that," said MTA project manager Dan Provence.

Solutions are currently on the drawing board, but relief won't be felt for a while. Over the past year, MTA began initial planning to implement a new traffic-calming program in the area. It was being used in other cities, and then SF Mayor Willie Brown launched it here in 2000. The first project was completed in 2004, and it has proven effective in other San Francisco neighborhoods. According to MTA, the program has given San Francisco new tools to address the problems associated with a growing number of cars, making the streets friendlier for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

"It results in a slower, steadier speed," Provence said.

Neighborhoods where projects have been completed include Bernal Heights, Ingleside Terrace, Bayview and Diamond Heights. In addition to the central Richmond, other projects currently in the planning phase include Potrero Hill, Lake, Kirkham and Clipper streets, Holloway Avenue and Broadway.

"Calming measures recently instituted in the Bayview District resulted in an overall four to five m.p.h. speed reduction," Provence told area residents at a public meeting in October to give a progress report on work done so far. The Richmond District project will be broken into three sectors: the Park Presidio Corridor, the area north of Geary Boulevard and the area south of Geary. Park Presidio and Geary boulevards will be included under a separate project.

The project area - 12th to 25th avenues and Fulton to Lake streets - was determined from a neighborhood survey mailed to more than 2,700 households in the central Richmond District and MTA's traffic study.

Streets where speeding was judged a problem were marked with red arrows on MTA's grid map of the project area, leading members of the audience to remark about the high number of red arrows.

"Speeding was the biggest concern. The speed data we collected determined the traffic calming measures we will use," Provence said.

Community work groups composed of interested residents then met to consider survey results and provide additional feedback to MTA.

Some of the calming measures include traffic circles and chicanes, intersection gateways, bus bulbouts, median islands and speed bumps, humps, tables and cushions.

Provence noted that some are more popular than others, and others are not widely used here currently.

Traffic circles, for example, which are raised islands placed in intersections, reduce speeding by forcing drivers to weave around the circle. Because they are landscaped in the center, they also improve aesthetics.

"There aren't many in San Francisco now, but they're very popular in Seattle," he said.

The MTA recently installed a traffic circle on Urbano Drive in the Ingleside Terrace and residents like it, Provence said.

However, when they wanted to install a traffic circle at Page and Clayton streets in the Haight Ashbury recently, neighbors launched a vigorous opposition campaign that included pickets and even a Web site titled "Danger On Page." The plan was subsequently dropped.

A traffic chicane, which is a series of raised islands that force drivers to zigzag their way through the device, was recently installed on Beacon Street in Diamond Heights.

Median islands with extensive landscaping, such as those on 22nd Avenue between Fulton and Cabrillo streets, and Dolores Street in the Mission District, provide a nice experience, but cannot be used everywhere, according to Provence.

Others, such as bus bulbouts, help speed bus traffic, and gateways, or small intersection medians, break up the line of sight and improve safety. Speed bumps, and their various forms, such as humps and cushions, are effective, but they are considered unattractive and not as popular.

"These measures must be carefully planned to ensure easy access by the fire department and Muni and take bike routes into consideration," he said.

The next step will involve a voting process on the calming measures selected. The final plan will then be presented to the public. Funding will come from monies provided under Proposition K, as well as state and federal sources.

"If funding is approved, the plan will take several years to complete," Provence said.