NOPA 38% UNDERGROUND(ED)

First posted in August 2009 and republished now as NOPA residents take a closer look at our streets and public spaces.

Is your NOPA street undergrounded?

Undergrounded, as in the utility lines on your street have been buried and the utility poles and overhead wires are gone. If you live on a street without the wires and poles, you tend to take the clear, unentangled views for granted after a bit -- until you walk a block and see what streets look like with them.

Utility undergrounding is a good-times venture. When the economy thrives, the city can afford to be expansive in its beautification measures. In May (of 2009) the Board of Supervisors considered adding undergrounding to a streets repair bond measure. But the prospects for the added expense were not good, and the idea was dropped. In a few weeks, so was the bond measure. Telephone surveys among likely voters put a damper on the prospects at the polls.

The cost to underground one mile in the city is approximately $6.7 million in 2009 dollars, according to the Department of Public Works. Of San Francisco's 1278 roadway miles, 470 have been undergrounded to date.

How does NOPA fare with undergrounding? We're doing well enough, especially compared to many other neighborhoods. Of NOPA's 71 blocks*, 27 are already undegrounded. That's 38% of the total.

Which NOPA streets are clear of the poles and wires? All the perimeters: Fell, Masonic, Turk, and Divisadero. And one more street: Golden Gate. Anyone know why and when Golden Gate received the special treatment? Perhaps when it served as a feeder for Central Freeway traffic.

District Five has the second highest number of curb miles undergrounded in the city: 59% of its 67 miles. District 3 is at the top with 70%, while Districts 11 sits at only 1% and District 10 at 12%. There's a whopping big need for some geographic equity when the economy improves.

Correction: Exit from Arco into Westbound Fell Traffic Legal

Motorists exiting the Arco service station onto Fell Street may legally cross the solid white stripe and enter the westbound traffic lane. I mistakenly stated in a post last week that the new traffic configuration for Fell Street motorists approaching Divisadero limited Arco customers to only turning left onto Divisadero Street. However, after a review of the California Vehicle Code (CVC), it's clear that there's nothing in the CVC that states road users cannot cross a solid line and, therefore, are not required to turn left at this intersection. The state code does require the driver of any vehicle about to enter or cross a street from any private property to yield the right-of-way to all traffic "close enough to constitute an immediate hazard." (CVC 21804a)

This conclusion was confirmed in recent email correspondence between John Rogers, a BIKE NOPA reader and daily bike commuter on Fell, and James Shahamiri, a traffic engineer for the Municipal Transportation Agency. Shahamiri wrote, "It continues to be legal for vehicles to exit the gas station and to turn left onto Fell, either to merge with through traffic on Fell, or to turn left on Divisadero." Rogers' inquiry to MTA was independent of my own coverage of the ongoing developments at this troubled intersection. He provided the emails to me directly.

Although Rogers wrote that he believed the new configuration made biking through the Fell Street segment even more risky than before, Shahamiri replied that the addition of the left turn lane "has not changed the interaction between cars and bicycles." He explained that the previous part-time tow-away area acted as a left-turn pocket. Under the new arrangement, that pocket now functions on a full-time basis.

A final note: while Arco customers have flexibility upon exiting the station, westbound Fell traffic can only turn left onto southbound Divisadero from the new Left Turn Only lane.

The Curious Divisadero Islands: DPW Explains the Design and MTA Questions Their Usefulness

At Turk Street the median juts into the crosswalk

The curious case of the Divisadero pedestrian islands has been resolved. The odd placement of the several islands meant to give a mid-point refuge to people crossing the street is not so peculiar after all, according to the city's design team. Each of the Divisadero crosswalks was designed to meet the different conditions of the particular intersection. But a few of the islands, or "raised pedestrian refuges," do not work well and often fail to provide safe passage to people crossing the street.

Christine Falvey, spokesperson for the Department of Public Works, provided BIKE NOPA with the explanation from the interdepartmental design team (including DPW and the Municipal Transportation Agency) for the recent makeover of Divisadero from Waller to Geary Streets.

"Thumbnails and pass-throughs were designed consistently. Medians were to end at the property line, start a five foot wide pass through, then have the raised thumbnail. The apparent variations out there are actually due to the width of the crosswalks, which vary according to the width of the sidewalk leading up to them. In some cases, the crosswalk was not striped the exact width of the sidewalk which gives the impression of another variation of thumbnail design where there is not."

A little complicated? Consider this: if the Hayes Street sidewalk is several feet wider than the Grove Street sidewalk, then the crosswalk crossing Divisadero at Hayes will also be several feet wider than the crosswalk at Grove. Since the islands begin five feet from the end of the median for each intersection, the Hayes island will appear to be floating in the middle of the crosswalk while the Grove island will be closer to the outer line of the crossing. The fact that the city chose to not always follow the width of the sidewalk, of course, makes it more confusing or from the team's perspective, appears more variable that it is.

The intent of this inquiry into the Divisadero island design has never been a "gotcha" attempt to catch traffic engineers making mistakes. On May 4th BIKE NOPA guest contributor, Jeff Gibson, first described the variations at several intersections.* While he found them odd, his concern was for the safety of pedestrians, especially people with mobility limitations, who would likely find their passage either blocked by the islands or too limited by the five- foot width of the pass-throughs.

Motorists block Divisadero crosswalk -- and the pass-through -- way too often

In one ten-minute period, the crosswalk was blocked four times;

An advance stop line could be very helpful here

Gibson's observation especially holds for the situation at Fell Street, as seen in the photos. Drivers at this intersection often intrude into the crosswalk and block the pass-through when they stop at the signal. People crossing the street must walk around the vehicle and step onto the island, if they are able, to proceed. Anyone in a wheelchair or whose difficulty accessing the islands must get around the island and be exposed to the westbound traffic, including motorists making left turns onto Divisadero. The five-foot wide pass-throughs between the end of the median and the start of the island are the standard width. They were designed specifically for people in wheelchairs and those with strollers as well as for pedestrians. At several Divisadero intersections they fail to serve their purpose well. Jeff Gibson appreciates the explanation from the city, but he still thinks "most of the thumbnails on Divisadero are so poorly placed that they act like barriers."

Mike Sallaberry, traffic engineer for the MTA, told BIKE NOPA that one outcome of this discussion and the difficulty placing thumbnails along Divisadero was a reconsideration of whether thumbnails were worth it. "Maybe we don't need them at all," he concluded.

*****

* When BIKE NOPA published a follow-up article in late May, it seemed odd that no one from DPW had responded to Gibson's inquiries -- or our own -- for so many weeks. We were left to wonder about the seeming lack of response and transparancy. As it turns out, the explanatory memo that Falvey passed on to us was written on May 17th. All the parties involved thought someone else had forwarded the message to Gibson and to me. These things happen.

Will Drivers Use the Fell/Arco Queue If They Don't Know It's There?

Fell Street residents cleared the curbside for the (so-far) unused queue

A solid white line breaks into dashes just before Arco entry

Will this sign be enough to guide drivers to queue and out of bicyclists way?

Motorists might line up along the curb to await entry to the Arco service station on Fell Street if they figure out that the new 7am to 7 pm tow away zone was created for them to do just that. But the new traffic design for the block between Scott and Divisadero offers no cues to drivers that the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) hopes they will get curbside and out of the bike lane. There's no sign or pavement marking that directs drivers to move from the traffic lane into the queue and no parking control officer guiding drivers to the line-up. Instead motorists find the solid white stripes for the bike lane almost all the way up to the Arco entry. Only then does the solid stripe break into a series of dashes to the Divisadero intersection. Most drivers do not cross solid white lines. Why would they decide they should here?

The MTA hopes motorists will figure out the new lane configuration on their own. According to one of the agency's traffic engineers, the city does not regulate or mark entrances to private driveways. The city might not want to accommodate a private business with signage or lane markings, but one of the stated intentions for the new design is to get motorists into the queue and out of the bike lane. At this location, it seems, the MTA has set the dinner table but neglected to send invitations or directions.

After a study of the just-installed changes, the MTA expects to paint the bike lane a solid green from Scott to Divisadero and also add a dashed indicator line to guide drivers into the left turn lane. The agency hopes that the wide green stripe will be a cue to drivers to not block the lane and to move into the queue instead. But when motorists want to exit Arco on Fell, the MTA anticipates the solid green line -- as well as the solid white line -- will discourage crossovers into the westbound traffic lane. It seems a bit confusing in intent and execution.

No one expected these changes to be the perfect solution to the existing traffic tangle on the block, and MTA deserves credit for experimenting with strategies to accommodate all users of the road and sidewalk. But without some guidance to drivers and enforcement, the MTA's impact studies may reflect more the simple need to provide explicit directions to the queue and less the overall effectiveness of the line-up itself.

NOPA VELO Returns in Three Days

Image: Rick Helf www.helf.com

NOPA VELO, the North Panhandle's biking group for neighbors and friends, is only six months old, but we're ready to celebrate the "40 and Fabulous" LGBTQ Pride Parade this Sunday. Background info here in a previous post, and all the facts you need right here:

Bike Decorating Party

Saturday, June 26th, 10 am to 1 pm

NOPA Location

Find out more once you register by contacting PopcycleSF@gmail.com

(Bikes can also be decorated Sunday morning at staging area as supplies allow)

Pre-Parade Bike Meet-up

Sunday, June 27th, 8:30 - 9:oo a.m.

Oasis Cafe, 901 Divisadero at McAllister Street

Depart Cafe at 9:00 am for Market Street parade staging area

Parade

Ride with other SFBC members in a contingent that is likely to be at the start of the parade

Flat ride on Market Street

Questions

michael7820@gmail.com

You haven't experienced the parade until you've been in it.

Changes to Fell/Arco Traffic Tangle Expected This Week

Several Fell Street neighbors objected to the first proposal at an April 30th hearing

The MTA hopes changes will greatly reduce blocking the traffic lane, bike lane, and sidewalk

This week the MTA will begin making traffic design changes on Fell Street to alleviate the hazardous conditions that currently exist near the Arco service station at Divisadero. According to an MTA engineer, the work orders for the job are complete and the on-street implementation will soon get underway.

The changes will bar parking from five spaces just east of Divisadero on the south side from 7 am to 7 pm to create a curbside line-up area for motorists seeking entry to Arco. In addition, the existing bike lane on Fell will be re-striped with plans to repaint the lane green after further study. The design changes result from a compromise developed by the MTA after Fell Street and Alamo Square neighbors objected to the original proposal that would have removed the parking spaces round the clock.

The new traffic design is intended to make Fell Street safer for all road users:

• motorists will queue up for Arco without blocking the traffic lane
• bicyclists will no longer encounter motorists crossing into or blocking the bike lane
• people walking will no longer find motorists blocking the sidewalk on the south side of Fell

The MTA proposed the new configurations on an experimental basis. Traffic engineers will conduct studies to determine whether the design adequately addresses the risks for road users.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, working with the MTA on community outreach, started contacting Fell Street neighbors, as well as bicycle and pedestrian advocates, via door hangers and email early this week. In the messages, the SFBC describes the changes as "a good starting point." But the staff also note that the compromise solution might not be adequate to the problematic stretch of Fell Street. The SFBC requests feedback about street conditions "for better or for worse" from residents and road users once the changes are in place. (Send comments to marc@sfbike.org) .

Murals of NOPA: Art Tucked Away

A view from NOPA

Thanks Bob ..... and Jayne

Third in a series.

Artists helped shape and enrich the North Panhandle into the complex, challenging, surprising and striving neighborhood it is today. Sometimes you have to walk our blocks to see all they have to offer. On foot you get a sense of the rich livability around us with tucked-away treasures like this mural on Hayes Street just west of Divisadero on the north side.

Other posts in the Murals of NOPA series.

MTA Proposes One Mitigation to Fell/Arco Traffic Design

North side view of Fell Street traffic

Four sub-standard spaces like this one will become tow-away 7am to 7pm

The Municipal Transportation Agency will change its proposal for a safer traffic design on Fell Street between Scott and Divisadero to accommodate the concerns of nearby residents and other neighbors. Two parking spaces will become tow-away zones 24/7 while four others will prohibit parking from 7am to 7 pm daily. The revised plan results from an analysis of mitigations that a MTA hearing officer suggested following a public meeting on April 2nd. The new design is intended as an experiment to determine whether the approach to Arco and Divisadero can be made safer for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

MTA traffic engineer James Shahamiri explained that parking would no longer be allowed in the two spaces between the entry and exit driveways of the Arco gas station. However, the four parking spots directly east of Arco will be part of a tow-away zone from 7am to 7pm, the periods of heaviest vehicle and bicycle traffic. The removal of parking will accommodate a curb-side queue for motorists awaiting entry to Arco and for better visibility when exiting the station. Other elements of the plan include posting a sign advising motorists to not block the sidewalk and a green-painted bike lane -- the city's first -- to guide cyclists and alert motorists for safer passage on the traffic-heavy block.

At the April 2nd hearing nearby residents and Alamo Square neighbors complained that removing the parking spaces would create a hardship for the immediate households and the neighborhood. John Newlin, MTA hearing officer, declared a continuance for the proposal and directed the agency to consider five possible mitigations as reported in this BIKE NOPA post. Only two of the options were reasonably feasible: a reduction in the period of time for tow-aways and removal of one or more of the parking meters on the north side of Fell near Divisadero. Shahamiri explained that removing any of the meters would simply shift the parking problem from the residents to the businesses along Divisadero. "It solves one problem by creating another."

Nearby households will be notified within the next day or two of the proposal and of the next hearing date: Friday, April 30, in Room 416 at City Hall.

NOPA VELO 3: "The Hills Are Alive with the Views of NOPA"

Image: Rick Helf (does it again!)

NOPA VELO takes on a lighter note for its third monthly ride the last Sunday of March. After the bank-robbing Patty/Tania Hearst and duel-losing U.S. Senator David Broderick themes of its first two rides, NOPA VELO nudges neighbors and friends to let their "hearts be blessed with the views of NO...PA." You do remember the Sound of Music lyrics certainly? After all the sing-a-longs at the Castro Theater, you must remember this: "Climb Every Mountain, Search High and Low, Follow Every By way, Every Path You Know."

NOPA VELO spun every mountain, rode high and low, pursued every zigzag, and Google-biked the route we'll take. Don't let the "peaks of NOPA" scare you off. Only a few moderate climbs are included in this 7 mile, 90 minute ride. Experience the views like never before: Alamo Square Park, the Buena Vista foothills, the Parnassus Panorama, and a real true Lone Mountain.

Spinning the heights with such good company deserves "all the pedals you can give, this one day of your life, for as long as you live." Lederhosen, dirndls, and uniforms encouraged. Expect musical surprises. All level riders welcome. Kids on own bike OK if with guardian. Heavy rain cancels. Contact Lenore for more info: lmcjunker@gmail.com

Sunday, March 28th

9:30 a.m. Meet 'n' Mingle at Apollo Coffee, 1064 Divisadero @ Turk

10:00 a.m. Spin off for the ride

11:30 a.m. (or a bit later) Drinks and lunch at Divisadero Farmer's Market @ Grove

City's First "Parklet" Comes to NOPA: Construction To Be Completed This Week at Mojo Bicycle Cafe

Workers assemble platform and support for sidewalk extension at Mojo Bicycle Cafe

Temporary sidewalk extension, 40 ft x 7 ft, for cafe seating, planters, and bike parking

Rijad Ghannan of RG Architecture is donating his services for the trial extension

The installation of San Francisco's first "parklet" will be competed today or tomorrow in front of Mojo Bicycle Cafe on Divisadero Street. As part of a six-month experiment, two parking spaces will be transformed into a raised sidewalk-level wooden deck with cafe seating, planter boxes, and parking for six bikes. On Thursday and Friday of this week construction crews placed the wooden tiles and supports in place with Rijad Ghannan supervising the work. His firm, RG Architecture, is providing its services gratis to the project. Ghannan is a former board member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and brings his appreciation for biking and innovative design to the project.

The expanded sidewalk installation at Mojo is part of the city's "Pavement to Parks" program which experiments with diverse uses for public spaces. Other projects have been larger in size such as the 17th and Castro intersection which now features tables and chairs instead of car traffic. The much smaller installation at Mojo Cafe will be assessed after six months. If successful, the permit for its operation can be extended another six months. For more information and images of the Mojo project, check the coverage here in Streetsblog.

Divisadero -- Makeover Nearly Complete But Gets Omitted From Sunday Streets; New Signal for Grove Street Crossing

Improvements at Grove and Divisadero

Sidewalk treatments along Divisadero

Grove @ Divisadero: currently no traffic or pedestrian lights

Westbound on Grove from Alamo Square park

The Divisadero Corridor is almost ready for its close-up. After several months of streetscape improvements from Waller Street to Geary Boulevard, the revitalization of Divisadero is expected to be completed by March of this year. "The trees are going in, the landscaping will follow, and the street lights are supposed to arrive within a few weeks," according to Ellyn Parker, Manager of the Divisadero Corridor project for the Mayor's Office of Economic Workforce and Development. She added, "Everyone is getting anxious for the work to be completed, but no one wants to get too far out in front with predictions." For one thing, she cautioned, there's the rain. "With the lighting to be installed yet, we have to get some dry weather."

Once the last street tree has been planted and the final street pole capped with its new fixture, NOPA neighbors can tick off the full list of improvements to this long-neglected thoroughfare:

• median greening
• new street tree locations and replacement of dying or damaged trees
• streetlight upgrades (good riddance to the cobra lighting)
• sidewalk bulb outs at bus stops
• pedestrian countdown signals at crosswalks
• bus stop removals to improve service at Ellis and Fulton
• pedestrian refuges at medians

(source: Dept. of Public Works)

And don't forget the curb-to-curb repaving of one of the city's previous candidates for worst road surfaces on a thoroughfare. Thank federal stimulus funds for the repaving of Divisadero. With the smoother and safer asphalt, BIKE NOPA has noticed bicyclists now braving the tight traffic lanes of the corridor.

But, sometimes getting all dressed up for the party doesn't snag an invite. Although the much-touted Sunday Streets celebration will course through the Western Addition and NOPA this year, Divisadero will not be part of the route. According to event planners, the two MUNI lines on Divisadero are the sticking points. The disruption of regular service is difficult enough for the MTA, but the apparent lack of logical re-routes for the two lines is especially troublesome. However, Sunday Streets will interact with Divisadero at two points: the route will extend on Grove to meet up with the Farmer's Market and will cross the spiffy new corridor on Golden Gate Avenue. (The hunch at BIKE NOPA is that a little creative outreach will pull Sunday Streeters along Divisadero and into the great shops and restaurants).

(The following segment revised 11:00 a.m. following further discussion with SFMTA).

The improvements keep coming. The Grove Street intersection at Divisadero has always been an anomaly: the only cross street to not merit a signal light or pedestrian crossing light. That's scheduled to change. Although not part of the Divisadero Revitalization project, the underground wiring for the Grove traffic signal was completed during the current corridor work and new signal lights will be installed in approximately two and a half years.

Michael Sallaberry, Associate Traffic Engineer for SFMTA, explained that the standard time period for planning, preparation, and installing a new traffic signal is usually three years. In the interim, the crosswalks at Divisadero and Grove will be upgraded with temporary tape striping to increase visibility. Sallaberry said a more substantial striping -- ladder or zebra patterns -- would normally be installed at an intersection similar to the "uncontrolled" situation at Grove and Divisadero, but to avoid ripping into the new asphalt when the signal light project moves forward in the near future, the MTA will use temporary markings for now.

Expect a huge celebration -- organized or spontaneous -- once Divis has finally gotten its due.

Trees Out, Trees In, Trees Die

Expect to see 250 new street trees on Divisadero from Haight to Geary when the revitalization of the Divis Corridor is completed. A few of the existing trees will remain -- truly, the survivors of harsh circumstances -- but others already display a "Notice of Tree Removal" shrink-wrapped around their struggling trunks. The Division of Urban Forestry of the Department of Public Works has deemed these trees in such poor condition that replacement is the only option. Reasons posted for the removals include "not getting established, contorted by wind" and "struggling young tree, stressed and not growing." (Geez, wouldn't a call to Social Services be more appropriate?)

(Actually the "stressed and not growing" applies to Urban Forestry itself, battered by budget and staff cuts -- so much so that the "Dying Trees on Turk Street" continue to ....die...for lack of a watering plan, unless waiting for last week's downpour was the plan).

The proprietor at 834 Divisadero was properly watering the tree outside his business when I pondered the reason for the this specimen's imminent plucking: "reverse trunk taper, no leader." His hunch was the tree leaned into the street and often took swipes from delivery trucks. But "reverse trunk taper"? I'm going to leave that one alone.

NOPA Gets Its First Bulbout

Bulbouts are cool, and NOPA now boasts one of its own. As part of the street renewal of the Divisadero Corridor, bulbouts will appear at select intersections. First up is the southwest corner of McAllister. The Divis re-design unfortunately retains the skinny sidewalks, but stop by the bulbout and see what some extra breathing and moving space is like.

Bulbouts are all about pedestrian safety. They extend the corner sidewalk and thus shorten street crossing time for pedestrians and permit better visibility of peds by drivers. They also permit more expansive landscaping. With the new pedestrian refuges -- cut-outs in the concrete median -- crossing Divis at a few locations will be decidedly safer. But these sidewalk enhancements don't come cheap. Walk San Francisco estimates that bulbouts cost up to to $500,000 each.

And then there's the law of unintended consequences: bulbouts used for pull-over deliveries with trucks straddling the street and the new extended sidewalk. The fellow in this potato chip truck explained, reasonably so, that the bulbout wasn't there two days ago and it caught him by surprise. Fair enough. But a "surprise" is only good for the first time.

We're already into Week Four of the Divisadero revitalization. Last week the west side of the corridor from Fell to Grove took its turn with the tear-up, and motorists traveling north between Grove and McAllister are perhaps already forgetting how rutted, cracked, and potholed that stretch was just a few days earlier.

The east end of Turk street is about to get its own spiff-over. With the same federal stimulus dollars that cover the Divisadero work, Turk will be resurfaced from Market to Van Ness with sidewalk upgrades and curb improvements as well.

Divisadero Week Two: from 64 to 16 Weeks

Instead of a year and a quarter of construction on Divisadero, how about just 16 weeks? The city allotted sixteen months for the Divisadero makeover, but the crew working for Synergy Project Management expect to complete the heavy construction in fourteen weeks. Add another two weeks for the landscaping of the median and planting of new street trees. Less dust, noise, and disruption; NOPA and Alamo Square neighbors are all for that. (The quicker pace construction doesn't indicate poor planning on the part of the Department of Public Works, DPW; they must allow for contingencies for a project this size).

To ease the strain on Divisadero merchants, DPW and its contractor are not only switching the work from one side of the street to the other as noted here last week. The workers also tear up and complete only two contiguous blocks at a time. "It's one of DPW's regulations," explained Neal Patel, Community Planner for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Patel is currently trying to ensure that similar work on Valencia street from 15th to 19th retains safe and adequate passage for cyclists during the construction.

This week's work opened up the west side of Divisadero from Oak to Page, getting it ready for median widening and resurfacing. Also, a new and better NW corner at Grove was smoothed over Friday morning, making passersby sigh a bit that the sidewalks themselves would not be replaced.

Pedestrian and livability advocates resort to more than a sigh, as noted in Friday's Streetsblog post by Michael Rhodes. Tom Radulovich, Executive Director of Livable City, and Manish Champsee, President of Walk San Francisco, express regret that the renewed Divisadero will see no end to its "90 year legacy of skinny sidewalks."

Divisadero Renewal: Week One

Grove, Fulton, McAllister intersections -- all received some of the action on Divisadero this first week of reconstruction and renewal for NOPA's physically tired and worn corridor. The east side of the two-block stretch from Grove to McAllister was getting resurfaced Saturday morning. The re-cast curbs and pedestrian crossing islands at the median were set, and medians were getting prepped for better lighting and landscaping.

The makeover plan calls for the construction and lane disruption to shift regularly from one side of Divisadero to the other to ease the burden on local businesses and residents. No need to shop elsewhere or grab a meal in some other neighborhood; businesses are open and ready to serve more than ever.

Divisadero Renewal: Day One

The Grove Street intersection took the first hit...in a good way...as part of the reshaping of the Divisadero Corridor. This morning work crews began tearing up the pavement for the street renovation that city planners and neighbors have discussed and planned for years. It will be a bit of a slog through the rest of this year and into the next, but everyone expects a much better neighborhood thoroughfare as a result. Even Kentucky Fried Chicken seems to think so (see photo) with "Grove...Now Twice as Good."

Divisadero Work Begins Monday: Next Chapter of "Comeback-kid story"

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi nailed it when he described the revitalization of Divisadero street as a "come-back kid story" already underway. Long before the planning for a "Great Streets" makeover of the prime north-south corridor was completed, neighbors helped preserve landmark buildings and support new and old businesses. Their persistence primed the pump for the structural change being launched next week.

Who remembers the battle to keep Burger King out of the historic landmark building on the NE corner of Fell and Divisadero? Neighbors in NOPA, Alamo Square, Lower Haight, and Cow Hollow battled the burger chain and the city Planning Department for the sake of historic preservation, environmental protections, and local, non-chain operations. The neighbors won before the Planning Commission, and the Madrone Lounge flourishes at the corner now.

The city's Entertainment Commission was shocked, pleasantly so, when many of these same neighbors supported the expanded liquor-serving hours and hours of operation for Club Waziema on Divisadero between Fell and Hayes. Waziema was one of the neighborhood's friendly meeting places, and neighbors wanted it to thrive and enliven that block.

And then there was the battle over the Central Freeway, that contentious issue that visited the ballot three times until finally the configuration that prevails today was approved. Alamo Square and NOPA still contend with the frequent speedway driving on Oak and Fell, but the anti-freeway action helped invigorate neighborhoods further east and calmed the traffic a bit as well.

Expect inconvenience as Divisadero gets its makeover: periodic reduced parking, slowed traffic with side streets taking more of the burden, and a temporary disruption of daily patterns. The work is expected to continue through 2010.

Support the local merchants even more. Here's the chance to help our Divis merchants continue business almost-as-usual. But why settle for that? How about helping our local businesses thrive during the revitalization? Say hello to the Dept. of Public Works crews while you're at it.

Find out more:

• the Divisadero project overview and the construction flyer
• the city's Great Streets Program
• today's Examiner article about the "rehab" of Divisadero

SFgo = Traffic First in NOPA, Alamo Square?

Most NOPA and Alamo Square neighbors had never heard of SFgo. But the "freeway functional," newly erected sign standards on the already too narrow sidewalks along Fell and Oak streets grabbed attention. Their reaction was more WIMBY than NIMBY, as in "Why In My Back Yard"? How will freeway signs add anything to our neighborhood and why now, just as the city invests $3.3 million to help make our prime transit and traffic corridor more livable?

In an earlier post, BIKE NOPA introduced neighbors to what seems an egregious intrusion in our midst. Today we present more in-depth coverage of the goals, uncertain messages, and specific concerns of the people who live here.

SFgo is an ambitious -- some say misguided -- program to upgrade the city's arterial traffic management and traffic signal system. Program goals include: manage traffic in real time, provide transit signal priority, and support emergency services. The plan envisions signal upgrades at 100 intersections, signal controller replacements at 400 intersections, fiber optic communications, transit priority measures at 500 intersections, and installation of variable message signs and traffic cameras, according to a June 26, 2008 presentation by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).

When transportation planners developed what would evolve into SFgo ten years ago, local livability and transportation expert Dave Snyder was already against it. "They all questioned how I could be opposed to innovative, state-of-the-art improvements," he recalled. "I thought it represented poor priorities. They planned this when a different team was in there. Part of what we're witnessing is the delayed effect of transportation priorities of the old guard." Snyder added that the $72.5 million alloted to SFgo would be used much differently by today's planners. "They wouldn't be putting message boards on Fell and Oak streets; they'd focus on more important public transit corridors."

Snyder believes that theoretically the SFgo system could be a good thing. In the case of the traffic message signs on Oak and Fell Streets, SFgo could manage the traffic signals to make sure the Muni #24 bus gets a green light every time it approaches the two intersections. Once the bus passes through the intersection, the east/west traffic could be given a longer green light until the next bus approached. That would really screw up Fell Street traffic though, according to Snyder. "To be really effective, traffic signals all along Divisadero would have to allow Muni preferential passage, and that's not likely to happen. The way SFgo is being implemented now it seems to be just a way to speed up traffic."

The primary purpose of SFgo sometimes gets muddled by program managers' own descriptions. There are the three goals listed above, but then the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) also gets down to basics with its statement that SFgo is "largely motivated by the need to upgrade existing equipment and infrastructure. Fair enough: traffic signals in the city are old and ill-suited for tech upgrades. But note this treatment of the benefits touted in its goals: "...the benefits, such as the ability to provide transit priority, pedestrian scramble phasing, incorporating bicycle elements into signal elements, are expected to accrue as a byproduct of the upgrade." (my emphasis). That reads, to me, as if the progam is primarily an infrastructure improvement with a very big price tag and a few good perks along for the ride.

SFMTA has good reason to spin the positives, and the agency knows its opposition. Another presentation ("Smart Corridors Task Force Notebook") about SFgo answered the question, What's the greatest challenge to the program?

• "Addressing the prevailing skepticism about the benefits of the project and the prevailing resistance to modernization borne out of a fear that the project would encourage auto traffic." (my italics)

"Prevailing skepticism" in NOPA and Alamo Square: check. Fear about encouraging auto traffic: check. But "resistance to modernization": not so fast.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco Freeway Revolt that stopped plans to better manage traffic flow by thrusting the proposed Panhandle/Golden Gate Park Freeway from the Central Freeway, up Oak and Fell while slicing 60% of the Panhandle for the pavement and then tunnel under Golden Gate Park to reach Park Presidio. Advocates then were, no doubt, derided for their "resistance to modernization." Today they're considered local heroes.

NOPA and Alamo Square residents cite three primary concerns with SFgo in their neighborhoods:

• SFgo seems to undermine the benefits of the Divisadero Corridor makeover

The city plans to revitalize the Divisadero Corridor from Haight to Geary to encourage more social interaction among neighbors and shoppers in a more conducive environment, i.e., less dominated by vehicular traffic. Expect to see bus bulbouts, a wider median planted with trees, upgraded light fixtures (no more ominous "cobra-head" lights), and landscaping. While the Divisadero makeover has been criticized by several livability advocates for being too limited in its scope -- not widening the sidewalks and calming traffic more -- NOPA and Alamo Square neighbors will nevertheless welcome even these changes for the long-neglected streetscape.

After two years of neighborhood input for the re-design and the expected expenditures, why is the city also spending millions to erect freeway-style message signs on Fell and Oak right next to Divisadero? Take out the cobra-head lights but erect functional/ugly sign standards? How will the digital displays -- bright lights -- enhance the neighborhood? Part of the long-term thinking for Divisadero is to encourage new housing, especially at the Fell intersection. But "up-close to SFgo signs" hardly fits the "location, location, location" mantra for developers or renters and homeowners.

• SFgo may be used to delay Divisadero traffic, causing more congestion, while it stalls Muni and makes pedestrians and cyclists wait even longer to cross Oak and Fell Streets.

During the Divisadero re-design planning process, Muni reps were adamant about not slowing the #24 bus in any way. But Muni #24 will definitely be stalled if Oak and Fell traffic gets more of the green.

• SFgo may encourage faster, more dangerous driving on Oak and Fell with longer green lights and with visual cues (e.g., the freeway-style message boards).

For some motorists, Oak and Fell are the most direct and quickest routes across town and onto the freeway. Everyone's busy and pressed for time; if the corridor allows fast driving as a result of traffic signal timing, who will resist? The signs might also present more distractions for motorists right where they encounter more bicyclists and pedestrians using the streets.

What do neighbors want? Tomorrow BIKE NOPA will focus on neighbors' questions for the SFgo reps to address when they discuss the program at the North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA) meeting*. We will also take a look at SFgo's record of community outreach.

*Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, Poleng Lounge, 1751 Fulton between Central and Masonic; 7 pm meet and greet; 7:30 pm meeting starts.