Bicyclists Beware: Hazards During Construction on Baker and Grove in NOPA

Baker bike lane southbound: curb to curb to be paved in weeks ahead

Grove bike route pavement construction hazards, between Baker and Lyon

Two to three inch trench after initial PUC work on Grove

Defined edges like this should have asphalt shoved up to them for safety

UPDATE, Wednesday, March 30, 5pm

This afternoon Ms. Dadisi Najib, DPW Public Information Officer, reviewed the street conditions and hazards for bicyclists on Grove and Baker. She followed up within hours of being alerted to the problem. She confirmed that curb-to-curb repaving is planned for Grove between Baker and Lyon and for the blocks of Baker recently worked on. She also said she would find out about DPW's or the construction firm's interim plans for reducing risks for bicyclists by shoving asphalt along the edges ("cutback") of the construction lip.

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The Public Utilities Commission is replacing sewer lines under North Panhandle streets, and that's a good thing. The city's aging infrastructure -- above and below ground -- needs all the attention it can get. But the construction itself is creating problems with a lack of attention to safety precautions and warnings to bicyclists.

Grove street between Baker and Lyon has been plagued with the tell-tale signs of sewer problems -- large sinkholes and many fill-ins -- for years. Now the sewer lines have been replaced but the temporary surface has been left two to three inches below grade with hard-edged trenches. Baker between McAllister and Fell has similar trenches. None of the drop-offs have asphalt shoved against them to smooth travel along the block, and, in a few areas, the trenches cut directly across the Baker bike lane and Grove bikeway.

Once all the sewer work is completed, the city will repave the blocks curb-to-curb. Although it's more economical to resurface the blocks at the same time, it's unnecessarily hazardous to leave the trenches as they are and not post warning signs. The city will likely address the risks, but, in the meantime, bikers beware, especially at night if you're unfamiliar with the street conditions.

Grove at Divisadero Gets Right Turn Only Signs Except for Bicyclists; New Signals Set for Spring 2012

Only one way for motorists to travel on Grove at Divisadero

Westbound on Grove at Divisadero, right turn only

New Right Turn Only signs installed on either side of Grove at Divisadero make travel on the corridor safer, at least once motorists become familiar with the directions. The SFMTA added the turn signs as interim measures “to simplify the intersection” until the proposed signal light project is made operational in the spring of 1912.

Previously, motorists wanting to cross Divisadero at Grove either edged into the crosswalks to see oncoming traffic or sat in the middle of the intersection waiting for an opening in the traffic. Now, neither option is available. Turns are required either to the south on the NOPA side of Divisadero or to the north from the Alamo Square side. Bicyclists, however, are allowed to cross Divisadero from either direction on the Grove Street bike route.

Mike Sallaberry, SFMTA traffic engineer, wrote in a late February email that a contract for the new intersection signal will be advertised this spring with construction to follow a few months later. “The new signal should be operating in April/May 2112,” he said. He also explained that a signal at Grove was anticipated as part of the completed Divisadero traffic calming project.

Much of the underground infrastructure for the future signal (conduits and pull boxes) was installed in 2009 ahead of the Divisadero paving and streetscape improvements. This advance work will reduce the impact of the construction of the new signal as we will not need to cut trenches into a newly paved street or damage newly constructed curb ramps.

In a previous article, Sallaberry explained that the standard time period for planning, preparation, and installation of a new signal is three years. He added that temporary tape striping is used on a street, like Divisadero, to avoid ripping into the new asphalt surface when the signal light is ready to place.

Halloween is Better Car-Free: NOPA Knows How

Hundreds gather along Grove and Lyon Streets for NOPA Halloween

Grove street in the North Panhandle hosts more car-free events than most any other neighborhood street in San Francisco, and Halloween night was one more walk-everywhere occasion. Hundreds of residents and visitors of all ages trick-or-treated along Grove between Baker and Central Sunday night while others approached on cordoned-off blocks of Lyon street. Kids competed for best costume prizes awarded from a trio of judges including a Frankenstein with a an uncanny resemblance to NOPA's district supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, Jarie Bolander, and Guitar Hero Purvi Sahu. Kids and parents peeked into dark garages, ducked into a special Halloween photo booth, and grabbed some time watching the Giants claim Game 4. The Halloween block party was the largest to date in the six years of the event.

Small Improvement for Divisadero Eyesore: It's a Start

The old tarps and scraps now removed

View from Monday's blog post

Apparently Clear Channel Outdoor got the message: the neighborhood wants this eyesore removed or cleaned up. Today the hanging tarps and scraps from the previous advertising were gone. On Monday BIKE NOPA used CCO's online message form to request action on the derelict sign above Divisadero at Grove Street. That afternoon Russ Mason, Corporate Director of Digital Services, in the company's Los Angeles office responded:

"Thanks for the heads up on this problem, I am forwarding your email on to the appropriate persons. Someone will be out to take care of it as soon as possible."

Keep your eyes on the street and on the billboard. Today's change might be the first step to another neighborhood improvement.

Point A to Point B with Google Bike Maps, Plus A Few Kinks

Google Bike Maps Spin Out Over Grove Street

The buzz of the day is Google's new bicycling map, and it's a fine feature eagerly awaited by bicyclists across the country. If you've ever used Google Maps and directions for driving somewhere, you know the route deserves a closer look. Same with the bike directions. For instance, I tried Google Bike Maps for a relatively straight shot from NOPA's Golden Gate and Central to 6th and Market, site of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition office.

The map directs cyclists east on Golden Gate to Broderick, a right turn there to McAllister, a left on McAllister (a bike route) . All good so far. But then the system spasms over Grove Street with repeated "left toward Grove, right toward Grove, left toward Grove" a total of EIGHT TIMES. The "Left, right, left, right, left, right" leaves you feeling like Faye Dunaway in Chinatown.

Once bikers escape Google's Grove Street fixation, they're directed to turn on Hyde toward Market and then continue down Market to 6th. It's a decent enough route, but most cyclists would do it differently. One popular option is a right turn on Polk from McAllister, then a left on Grove (but just once!) and connect with Hyde for a jag to cross Market. That change avoids the high-volume traffic and congestion of Hyde from McAllister to Market.

Google has a few kinks to work out, but the bike map is a fine feature that will only get better, especially with several similar services coming online any day. And San Francisco's street grids, hills, and start-and-stop bike lanes present a more difficult territory than, say, Portland's more predictable layout with extensive bike facilities. Thanks to the 50,000 petitioners who urged the company to add the bike map.

Give the Google Bike Map a try and be sure to report any glitches. Use the gold box in the toolbox on the directions section to provide feedback.

NOPA In Pink

A huge thank you to all the neighbors who planted pink during the several tree planting efforts by NOPNA and Friends of the Urban Forest in years past. What's your favorite pink block at this time of year? Lyon between Fulton and Grove? Grove between Lyon and Baker? Or perhaps one special tree?

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.

Underground Tours Available

In September 1000s will be walking, biking, partying here for Sunday Streets

NOPA has waiting-to-sink holes like this on several streets

A particularly large crater on Grove Street between Baker and Broderick appeared within the last few days (now temporarily repaired). Unfortunately temporary repairs is all Grove Street residents can expect for an indefinite number of years unless the city finds new sources of revenue to keep its streets from worsening (at ever-greater cost to reconstruct and repave in the future).

It's Official: Sunday Streets Coming to NOPA

great graphic from Livablecity.org

photo by Michael Helquist

photo by slowpoke_sf on Flickr

photo by steverhodes on Flickr

The buoyant, smile-inducing, bike spinning, pedestrian-safe celebration known as Sunday Streets will course through NOPA in 2010. Fine-tuning of the new Western Addition route is underway, but the blocks expected to involve NOPA include Central Avenue, Grove Street, Baker Street, and Golden Gate Avenue. Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today the dates and neighborhood locations for nine Sundays from March through October next year. NOPA's chance to host part of the route will come on September 19th, when the city is most assured of sunny, warm weather.

Next year's Western Addition/Alamo Square/NOPA route will be the first foray into mostly residential neighborhoods for Sunday Streets. Cheryl Brinkman, president of the board of Livable City, noted how successful Sunday Streets was this year in the Mission's commercial area. She added, "We hope with NOPA and the Western Addition to have the same success with a primarily residential route. It's a great opportunity to give residents a respite from car traffic on their streets and see what they make of it."

Kevin Rafter, President of the North Panhandle Neighborhood Association, thinks the event is right on target. "NOPNA is always eager to support events that build community and get more neighbors out on the streets. We know that so many of our neighbors bike to school, work, and in-between so this event makes a lot of sense to us. We're eager to make this event a success in NoPa."

At the same time, NOPA's merchants can expect a big boost in business from Sunday Streets.* The Central Avenue and Fulton Street cafes, restaurants and stores, the "Baker Street Beat" sites for foodies, corner grocery stores, and Divisadero outlets of every sort will have the chance to meet, greet, and serve San Franciscans from all over the city. One segment of the route being considered would stop at the Divisadero Farmers' Market, and manager Dmitrius Spartos couldn't be more psyched about it: "This event is all about having fun while honoring San Francisco's path towards a sustainable urban ecology, and farmers' markets are a definite part of that equation. It makes sense to join forces."

NOPA's own BIKE THE BLOCK party this past September was inspired by Sunday Streets, and our one-block focus attracted hundreds of neighbors and friends. Bicyclists will certainly be prominent among Sunday Streeters, but the event reaches out to everyone. Marc Caswell, NOPA neighbor and Program Manager for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, is eager to have Sunday Streets come to this part of town. He also takes a larger view of the occasion: "Events like this allow people to re-envision public space and help show that streets have more uses than transporting vehicles."

The route through NOPA will permit two-way travel on the selected streets and will be open to festivities from 10 am to 3 pm. Organizers will provide extensive advance notice to residents, businesses, and churches located on the affected blocks to help them prepare for the occasion.

The full list of dates and locations include:

March 14: Embarcadero

April 11: Along the Great Highway

April 18: Bayview

May 23: Bayview

June 20: Mission

July 11: Mission

August 22: Great Highway/Golden Gate Park

September 19: NEW: Western Addition

October 24: NEW Civic Center/Tenderloin

In addition to this ambitious expanded version of Sunday Streets, the mayor and SFMTA will launch a pilot project next year to bring car-free days in one or more neighborhoods, somewhat similar to the Sunday closure of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park. Presumably, these "block party"-type events will not entail the rather steep application fees to close the block to car traffic.

BIKE NOPA will feature further news on Sunday Streets in the months ahead. Also check for information from these sites: Livable City, the SF Bicycle Coalition, Alamo Square Neighborhood Association, MTA, and NOPNA at www.nopna.org . BIKE NOPA first suggested including NOPA in the 2010 roster in this Oct. 6th post.

* For those new to Sunday Streets, the event is not envisioned as a giant street fair with vendors taking the place of parked vehicles. People enjoying the streets usually frequent nearby stores, restaurants, and cafes or find the curb a good spot to watch the passing scene.

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."

Does the Renegade Bike Lane Striper Work for DPT?

Remember the unauthorized spate of common-sense (and whimsical), bike-safety messages stenciled on Fell at the ARCO Station ("KEEP CLEAR") and on Oak past Divis ("BIKES ONLY")? They remained a few days before MTA/DPT painted them over. Bikers buzzed: "Who are the renegade stripers? Where will they stripe next?"

Might they work for DPT itself? Consider the new striping on Grove, westbound between Divis and Scott. A little whimsy with that askew "A"? And what's with the big "K" pushing "E" up against the stripe? Not very nice. And do approach the top of the hill with an especially elongated STOP for safety.

Not to poke fun at re-paving and re-striping. That block of Grove was a rugged stretch to bike and the former stripes were mostly faded beyond recognition. And this is the only stretch of Grove to be even partly repaved anytime soon. Check these posts: pavement condition and repaving schedule for Grove and other NOPA streets.

The Grove westbound route just became a much more viable alternative to the Oak Street juggernaut for Easties. Hook up on Grove through NOPA, continue up to Alamo Square Park, and then cruise down Scott onto the Wiggle.

P.S. DPT must have its reasons for using tape instead of stencilled paint for pavement signage; cost savings, no doubt. But it does look just a tad, mmm, unprofessional.

NOPA Play Blocks

Not many kids ride bikes on NOPA streets. Could they safely ride through the neighborhood if they wanted to? Are there any blocks that parents feel are safe for their kids to bike?

Last night I had the chance to talk about scheduled car-free days for neighborhood streets with Susan King, a Cole Valley resident who works for Walk SF, the pedestrian advocacy group. She also coordinates "Sunday Streets," the exuberant car-free days celebrated on selected streets throughout the city this summer. (This Sunday take a walk or bike through the Mission, and experience Dolores, Valencia, and 24th Streets in a completely different way!)

Fortified with a Green Chile Kitchen dinner special, Susan explained her vision for a series of summer afternoons that offered car-free blocks open for play with kids biking, everyone walking, maybe a garage sale, perhaps a barbecue, etc. Very much like NOPNA's annual block party and the Golden Gate Neighbors' July 4th celebration. But more often and in several neighborhoods. Susan imagines something like the Open Studios where San Franciscans get to see great art and visit with artists where they work in specific neighborhoods. In this case, people could bike or walk to different play blocks close-by.

What about traffic and parking? We seem to manage in NOPA with the street closures without great inconvenience now -- when Bay to Breakers removed parking from Fell, only a handful of motorists used the free and open DMV parking lot as an alternative. And let's consider the question, Do we want our kids to have safe streets for bicycling in NOPA, ever?

What NOPA blocks are best suited to be play blocks? Probably blocks without a MUNI line that aren't too steep and don't have too much traffic. That eliminates Fell, Hayes, Fulton, McAllister, Turk, Divisadero and Masonic and the upper blocks of our north/south streets. Grove and Golden Gate pop out as options along with parts of Broderick, Baker, Lyon and Central.

Perhaps NOPNA's parents group would be interested in securing more opportunities for their kids to literally play in the streets. Susan King has offered to help with the planning and getting city permits.