Undergrounding the M Streetcar
By Glenn Rogers, PLA
This new reconfiguration of the M streetcar going underground is an improvement over the previous plan, where staff was directed to provide an elevated solution. With both M and K streetcars going underground, it removes congestion at the St. Francis Circle and the Ocean Avenue crossing. The M line is improved with elimination of the 19th Ave. crossing beside Stonestown, and the crossing over Junipero Serra would be improved dramatically by an underground route. Instead of a one streetcar track, which is present today and part of the old solution, there would be two streetcar tracks going in either direction. A streetcar would make grade, emerging from underground, at Randolph St. where the road widens. 
Both the old and new M streetcar alignments avoid a stop at the Senior Center located at the Temple Methodist Church. It is inappropriate to foster a care facility in San Francisco, have the public depend on that center's care, then abandon the center by no longer providing public transportation for seniors and the disabled.”
Where the new M streetcar fails:
Where the new alignment fails in its analysis is that it ends the M streetcar at Parkmerced, where a J streetcar receives passengers moving into the Oceanview district. The opportunity for less service into Oceanview is likely since it is not a well-connected neighborhood. Both the old and new M streetcar alignments avoid a stop at the Senior Center located at the Temple Methodist Church. It is inappropriate to foster a care facility in San Francisco, have the public depend on that center's care, then abandon the center by no longer providing public transportation for seniors and the disabled. Presently there is a stop at Beverly Street where the senior center is located. Service to this center should be demanded by the neighborhood. Additionally, the stop at the existing Lakeside business districts is considered optional. The elimination of this stop could have a dramatic effect on the existing businesses there. Most important, the J streetcar traveling downtown could just change its sign from J to M at the Parkmerced station instead of having passengers leave the streetcar and find new seating on the M streetcar. In returning home, if this same procedure could occur, it would improve J ridership dramatically. The Parkmerced project was always been about providing more market rate housing for the City tax coffers. This plan to treat J streetcar riders as second class citizens needs to be brought to the attention of the City and SFMTA.
Why the new M streetcar line is better:
In my opinion, this underground solution was necessary because the 18,000 new residents of Parkmerced would appear to be poorly served by the transportation provided by the past plan. The past plan had no solution for the St. Francis Circle congestion, which would be both difficult for traffic and the M and K streetcars alike. In the old plan, there was only one track going each way, this new design has two. With only one track in the old plan, this could lead to lines of streetcars going downtown, one after the other. The first car picking up passengers and the second one trailing behind empty. Then, the elevated track over the Junipero Serra/19th Ave. exchange would have had numerous failings. First, the noise created in an elevated platform would have been hard to ameliorate, causing blight in at least two nearby Towers by the noisy streetcar regularly passing by. Today, the plan is to have the streetcar land on the narrow part of Randolph Street (39'-6" wide). This would leave 11'-6" for two rows of parking and for two lanes of cars to pass each other, obviously, not nearly enough space for either activity. Therefore, the plan with the ramp ending at 19th Avenue, near Randolph St., is the preferred plan between these two.
Oceanview's difficulties:
Other hardships the Oceanview neighborhood has endured in the past has been Highway 280 providing an impassable barrier along its southern border. The entrances into the neighborhood have been minimized by traffic engineers more interested in traffic flow than economic opportunity for the residents. Many parts of the Oceanview neighborhood were designed with super blocks that are 3 to 4 times larger than regular blocks in San Francisco. These giant blocks, popular in the early part of the 1920's, minimize an opportunity for commerce by having fewer intersections. Typically, family and other businesses occur at street corners. Super blocks have been abandoned by City planners today. The Oceanview district does not need another obstacle to its success like a separate J streetcar line. 1.
1. SFMTA: 19thAve_final_report.pdf
Glenn Rogers is a landscape architect who lives in the Westside.
April 2016
SFMTA Presents “Full Subway” Option to Put M-Ocean View Line Underground from West Portal Along 19th Avenue to Parkmerced
The San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority (SFMTA) cited “Superior travel time and safety” as the compelling reasons to move forward with the $2.5-3 Billion “Full Subway” version of the project on Thursday, February 25th at a public meeting held at Waldorf High School on West Portal Avenue. But the subway planning is still in early stages and nothing has been approved, let alone funded. There is still plenty of time for public input.
Expansion plans at the University of San Francisco and the addition of 5600 units at Parkmerced have prompted transportation planners to rethink earlier proposals which would not likely be sufficient to handle the large influx of expanded populations. Capacity would be improved with the subway plan, which would allow 4-car trains. Travel time would also be improved, according to planners.
This new subway plan places the M-Ocean View line and part of the K-Ingleside line underground from West Portal Station to Parkmerced.
New underground stations would be created at Stonestown, SF State and Parkmerced. Stations on 19th Avenue would have multiple entrances on both sides of the busy thoroughfare. No information was presented regarding the station at St. Francis Circle.
It is hoped that these improvements would also diminish the traffic delays caused by the street cars on 19th Avenue, eliminating the conflicts with vehicles and the need to wait for signals. Removing at-grade crossings near Rosmoor Drive and at Junipero Serra Blvd. would improve traffic on 19th Avenue and the safety of pedestrians as well as cyclists.
Taking the M-line underground would also allow for a re-design of 19th Avenue to include wider sidewalks and the new two-way bike path as well as a landscaped median.
The new terminal at Parkmerced, which had been planned as an at-grade facility in the original agreement with Fortress Investment Group, the developer at Parkmerced is not affected. It is not clear how the SFMTA will use the $70 million provided by the developer to realign the streetcar into the residential neighborhood at Parkmerced.
While Federal funds are matched 80% for projects that are “commuter friendly,” the funding for the latest iteration has not been determined in terms of matching funds.
No extension of the M-line to the Daly City BART is considered in the current vision.
All aspects of the plans were presented as “preliminary” and subject to refinement. The plans are subject to environmental review (EIR), project approvals by regulatory agencies are also required and no progress has been reported about identifying full funding. Residents are not likely to see disrupting construction activities for many years.
Public meetings regarding these changes are in the planning stages, but have not yet been posted.
Construction is underway for multi-agency improvements to West Portal Ave and Quintara Street water main, sewer and paving projects thru the summer of 2016 from Ulloa Street to 15th Avenue. These include water and sewer main replacements, street repaving and pedestrian safety elements such as bulbouts and curb ramps.
West Portal Avenue transit and placemaking project is intended to improve Muni performance along West Portal, also planned for this year, but public meetings to share improvement options and seek input are expected prior to project implementation.
19th Avenue/Junipero /Serra Blvd. improvements include modifications to the intersection at the north crosswalk to include a pedestrian refuge area adjacent to the light rail tracks. Transit signal priorities are planned as well as red paint treatment at the entrance to the trackway as well as speed bumps.
Twin Peaks tunnel trackway improvements are also planned for the summer of 2016 to the fall of 2017 at the Castro and West Portal stations. Aged light rail tracks are to be replaced along the entire tunnel and in order to avoid future impacts to traffic and transit in the surrounding neighborhoods, infrastructure improvements are planned to take place at the same time, including seismic upgrades, repairs to the concrete reinforcements and cleaning and repairs to the tunnel drainage system.
M Ocean View track replacements along 19th Ave. from Rossmoor Dr. to Winston Dr. are scheduled to take place from the fall of 2016 to the summer of 2017 from the north side of the Winston Drive platform through the Rossmoor Dr. intersection. Traffic signal priorities for transit vehicles are planned to minimize blockage and conflicts with the streetcar crossings.
28 line / 19th Avenue Rapid Project is designed to be implemented from 2016 thru 2018 and will include transit and pedestrian improvements at every intersection from Lincoln Way to Junipero Serra Blvd. This corridor had about 400 collisions in the last five years, and planners hope to improve safety.
March 2016
Continued Disruptions on 19th Avenue
Median improvements aimed at safety, beautification from Wawona to Lincoln Way
Work on the 19th Avenue corridors, originally scheduled to begin in “Sprint of 2012” is finally under way to beautify 19th Avenue along one of the City’s busiest transportation corridors. Demolition crews have begun scooping concrete out of the 5-foot-wide median, which will be transformed into a patch of green over the coming months.
To minimize disruptions to the public, the construction team will work on two blocks of 19th Avenue at a time, closing off no more than one lane of traffic in each direction between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Fridays. However, motorists may experience traffic delays. Warning signs will be posted prior to the lane closures. The goal is to complete construction by March at the latest.
The median greening project is part of community-backed efforts to make 19th Avenue safer. The median will be planted with drought-tolerant ornamental plants, primarily succulents, to soften the landscape. The project is modeled after the successful median upgrade on Guerrero Street.
“We hope this greening project, coupled with the upgrading of traffic signals and the upcoming public-safety improvements, will provide a positive experience for drivers and pedestrians along 19th Avenue,’’ said District Four Supervisor Carmen Chu, who represents the area.
The median greening project is part of community-backed efforts to make 19th Avenue safer and more attractive. The City already has upgraded traffic signals and has plans to build pedestrian “bulb-outs” to extend the sidewalk at the intersections to make crossing easier. In 2008, a double-fine zone was established for the 19th Avenue corridor; a year later, the speed was reduced to 30 mph.
DPW is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and maintains city street trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; constructs curb ramps; removes graffiti from public property. More information can be found at www.sfdpw.org.
December 2012
Expect Disruptions on 19th Avenue
Median improvements aimed at safety, beautification
The San Francisco Department of Public Works announced that work is under way to beautify 19th Avenue along one of the City’s busiest transportation corridors. Demolition crews have begun scooping concrete out of the 5-foot-wide median, which will be transformed into a patch of green over the coming months.
Overseen by DPW, the 15-block landscaping project runs from Wawona Street to Lincoln Way in the Sunset District and is part of a multipronged approach to make 19th Avenue safer and more welcoming.
The median will be planted with drought-tolerant ornamental plants, primarily succulents, to soften the landscape. The project is modeled after the successful median upgrade on Guerrero Street and supports DPW’s commitment to make San Francisco a beautiful, livable, vibrant and sustainable city.
As a major north-south roadway with six traffic lanes, 19th Avenue carries more than 85,000 vehicles a day and is part of State Route 1. To minimize disruptions to the public, the construction team will work on two blocks of 19th Avenue at a time, closing off no more than one lane of traffic in each direction between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Fridays. However, motorists may experience traffic delays. Warning signs will be posted prior to the lane closures. The goal is to complete construction by March at the latest.
The median greening project is part of community-backed efforts to make 19th Avenue safer and more attractive. The City already has upgraded traffic signals and has plans to build pedestrian “bulb-outs” to extend the sidewalk at the intersections to make crossing easier. In 2008, a double-fine zone was established for the 19th Avenue corridor; a year later, the speed was reduced to 30 mph.
The 19th Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project falls under DPW’s Great Streets Program that aims to improve the public rights-of-way for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists and to soften the urban landscape with more greening. Among the corridors already improved are Valencia Street, Divisadero Street and Leland Avenue.
More information can be found at sfdpw.org.
November 2012
May 8th Traffic Nightmare-Bus Cuts
MUNI Schedule Cuts Expect longer waits and more crowded buses. The SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will begin MUNI schedule changes May 8th including reduced frequencies and shorter hours of operation on many bus routes and rail lines. “needed to bridge the Fiscal Year 2009-10 operating budget deficit,” according to official sources. For details on specific schedule changes please visit www.sfmta.com.
Construction Disruptions May 8th is also the beginning of preliminary work on the St. Francis Circle Rail Replacement Project. “The busiest intersection on the Westside,” it is expected to cause major traffic tie-ups. The M Ocean View and the K Ingleside lines will be suspended on May 8 and May 9 to allow for a temporary crossover to be installed on West Portal Avenue. Rail service will be restored from May 10 through May 16 and then suspended again on May 17 for the duration of construction. While construction is underway, rail service between West Portal Station and Balboa Park BART/Muni Station will be replaced by K and M line substitute bus service. 
The project will include:
• New Muni tracks for a smoother ride
• Street base repairs and new asphalt pavement
• New Muni signals and traffic signal systems
• Low level Muni boarding islands including platforms
for customers with disabilities
• Improved storm sewer system and curb ramps in
coordination with the Department of Public Works
• Improved pedestrian islands
• New crosswalks and smoother sidewalk surfaces
The replacement of Muni tracks and other improvements at St. Francis Circle are scheduled to start on Monday, May 17 and conclude in late summer. Before then you will see preconstruction activity in the area including surveying, sewer work, underground electrical conduit work, curb, gutter and sidewalk work.
Expect construction dust and noise seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, construction equipment and crews, periodic traffic lane closures and detours, temporary removal of some street parking, slower traffic, substitution of K Ingleside and M Ocean View buses operating on residential streets, increased traffic on side streets, longer transit travel times and some stop changes.
For details on the bus substitute service please visit www.sfmta.com/stfranciscircle.
For assistance in other languages, riders are encouraged to call 311. For bus and rail schedules and arrival/departure times by transit stop location, dial 511.
May 2010
19th Ave Slated for Upgrades
By Jonathan Farrell
Improvements to the pedestrian crossings at the intersections of 19th Avenue and Judah, 19th and Taraval and 19th Ave and Sloat Blvd is set to begin sometime before the end of this year. Traffic at all three intersections will be subject to crossing closure and detour to parallel streets. This improvement work is part of an extensive series of projects that began in 2007.
The improvement work will require vehicle-traffic detours and closure of the intersections as work progresses. Ha Nguyen of SF MTA met with Sunset Heights Association of Responsible People this past Sept. 29. As project manager she and some of her staff made a presentation to the members of SHARP at that Tuesday evening gathering.
Vern Waight of SHARP said that he was impressed with Nguyen’s presentation. “It is a very extensive and complex project and while they are working on the streets crews will also work on other utilities as well as the intersection improvements,” said Waight.
Waight who worked as a traffic engineer for many years with Caltrans also admitted that while he was impressed with the presentation in the initial plans, “It’s going to be a mess along 19th Ave for a while.”
Traffic police will be directing traffic at each of the intersections while construction is taking place, he noted. “As the work gets going people will have to get used to the inconvenience,” said Waight. “Yet, once it is done it will be better and last for quite a while, at least 30 years,” he added. With the utility work that will be included in the repairs Waight said he understood the estimated cost to be at about 18 million.
The Westside Observer tried several times to reach Nguyen and Judson True at the SFMTA for verification and clarification, but requests for further information were ignored.
Waight also mentioned that at the SHARP meeting discussion about the “rebuilding of the mess at St. Francis Circle was also presented.” This work will require detours and closure of the intersection as work progresses. Described by SFMTA traffic engineer Bond M. Yee as “the most complicated intersection in the city,” St. Francis Circle is a five-legged intersection. According to a report this past February in the SF Chronicle, St. Francis Circle, which really isn’t a circle in the traditional sense of the word, has over 40,000 motorists daily. All those cars are simply trying to get to and from nearby San Francisco State University, Stern Grove, the Stonestown Mall, Interstate 280 and the West Portal commercial district. (See the full story on page one.)
Hopefully this work at St. Francis Circle as well as the work with the three intersections at 19th Ave will go smoothly. From Waight’s perspective as a former traffic engineer, 19th Ave is a “surrogate highway” as he called it. “It was never meant to handle so much traffic like a freeway.” He also said that even with the improvement work completed at the three intersections, 19th Ave would have the same six lanes.
