NOPA Streets: Bike Sharrows for McAllister

Sharing the road westbound on McAllister before the hill

Sharrows in the westbound lane to Baker

McAllister is the most recent street to get bike sharrows, the shared lane markings that remind motorists to accommodate cyclists who are also using the street. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) stenciled the sharrows last week on much of the westbound lane from Market to Baker streets. Presumably the markings will be extended the full length of the McAllister bike lane to Masonic, including the eastbound lane.* The street additions are part of the extensive bicycle safety efforts by SFMTA that has included miles of sharrows and striping of new bike lanes across the city.

McAllister is the preferred route for many cyclists traveling to the Civic Center and Market street from NOPA. (Others slalom down Golden Gate from Broderick, an efficient thrill ride now more risky with the uneven pavement west of Divisadero). Although Muni management has fretted about bicyclists slowing buses on McAllister, cyclists are often the ones trying to get around slow-going buses. In 2009 McAllister was one of the proposed routes for a new striped bike lane, but the project was put on hold awaiting a better design and strategy for creating bike space. For now the new sharrows provide visual cues to drivers and encourage cyclists to take the lane when necessary to avoid the door zone.

* UPDATE: Or not. Seems McAllister is a bike route only in the westbound direction due perhaps to its one-way orientation from Market to the Civic Center. Whether this makes much sense, especially with "inner McAllister" soon to switch to two-way traffic, is another question.

Murals of NOPA: Bold Touch at the Laundry

You can't miss the mural at the corner of Lyon and McAllister. On the Lyon Street exterior of the neighborhood laundry "Get the Funk Out," this eerie visual evokes, for me, an Almodovar homage amid free-form graffiti script and an octoman I don't want to encounter on a dark street.

Other posts in the Murals of NOPA series.

#5 Fulton Riders & Bicyclists To Get Direct Access to Market Street from McAllister

#5 Fulton: one of NOPA's primary transit lines. Flickr Photo by Mike LaHood/SF Public Press

Amid the dire service cuts to all Muni lines and the threat of worsening conditions for the city's transit riders, there's at least one glimmer of positive news for Muni patrons who use the #5 Fulton bus. As first reported by Streetsblog, an MTA proposal to convert the two-and-a-half blocks of McAllister Street from Hyde to Market from one-way to two-way for transit, bicyclists, and deliveries was recommended for approval during an April 30 public hearing. If the change is accepted by the full MTA board as expected in June, the #5 and cyclists will no longer need to shuffle and shift through the Civic Center to reach Market. Private vehicles, however, will be prohibited from using the eastbound traffic lane on the these blocks. The traffic engineers' plan for McAllister was cleared for final MTA consideration at the same public hearing that also moved the Fell/Arco proposal to the board.

NOPA residents who use the #5 or the McAllister bike route to get downtown should find their rides a bit quicker. The news may be especially welcome to cyclists who prefer McAllister's gentler grade over Golden Gate Avenue's steep slalom ride from Broderick to Van Ness and then to Market.

Readers note: The most comprehensive and thoughtful coverage of everything related to the operations and current fiscal crisis at SFMTA with all the impacts on transit users can be found at sf.streetsblog. The year-old news blog has changed the Bay Area's understanding and discussion of transportation and livability concerns.

Design Notes, Great Coffee, Brew & Bites Light Up Baker & McAllister

Owners Lauren Alameda-Reddell and Jason Wahlberg

Sleek and bright with natural light throughout

(In case you missed this post earlier during the Tday rush):

Open only a month, the Matching Half Cafe sports a brisk, caffeinated business bursting with good bites and fine brews at the corner of Baker and McAllister, part of NOPA's revitalized Baker Street Beat. Owners Jason Wahlberg and Lauren Alameda-Reddell designed much of the bright and smart space themselves, and their pride of ownership infuses the cafe with a cheery earnestness.

NOPA's newest business claims the southeast corner of Baker and McAllister Streets, site of the long-time One World Cafe -- a cozy, jumbled old-style coffeehouse with its primary focus at the far end of the room. That's all changed with the Matching Half. Wahlberg and Alameda-Reddell started negotiating for the corner spot last February and drafted plans for the design and layout. Their backgrounds served them well. Wahberg was busy with construction and remodeling while Alameda-Reddell worked at an architectural firm before they were both laid off last year.

"We wanted to open the space and keep a good flow through it," explained Wahlberg. He and Alameda-Reddell installed a full-length bar as the cafe's central feature, emphasizing the spaciousness and orientation to the full windows on both the McAllister and Baker sides. The cafe offers a crisp, pleasing environment with airy high ceilings and slick pine floors and sleek tables the owners designed and built themselves.

Patrons have a choice of chatting up the baristas while seated at the counter, grabbing one of the clutch of tables for twos and fours, or taking charge of the large table for six. Everyone gets a great view, indoors and outside. These last several bright November days have found dog-walkers, cyclists, and strolling neighbors making a stop at one of the four outside tables and benches. Wahberg said they definitely wanted to have outside seating. "This is such a wide sidewalk."

"We like the cafe culture in the city," Wahlberg added. "We like how the Velo Rouge Cafe (located on Arguello at McAllister and a few blocks from an entry to Golden Gate Park) gets the bike traffic and so many people walking to and from the park." (Did he suggest they would welcome bike traffic? NOPA bicyclists are looking for regular meeting spots for monthly rides).

Great that the Matching Half looks and feels so good and the owners and staff are so friendly, but what's to eat drink and eat? A morning stop for the premium drip coffee (roasted by Verve of Santa Cruz) makes the workday ahead seem manageable. A bottle of Lost Coast, Blue Moon, or Momma's Little Yella Pils takes the lunch-time edge off those morning meetings. And the House Red (Mas North Coast Red Blend) or a Tomei Cellars Zinfandel (Shenandoah Valley) smooths out the afternoon's rough spots nicely. Morning sweets and sandwiches all look great, but they await my next visit. Don't wait; find out yourself and welcome our newest neighbors.

Matching Half Cafe, 1700 McAllister at Baker, 415 674-8699

Open 7am weekdays, 8 am weekends

till 6pm Sun & Mon; 8pm Tuesday to Thursday

till 9pm or 10pm, Friday and Saturday

No More McAllister Waves

A Smooth Saturday Surprise at McAllister and Van Ness.

Safer for everyone, easier to share the road, and no more liability claims waiting to happen.

Everyone can appreciate the new, smooth pavement of the McAllister Street / Van Ness Avenue intersection, but bicyclists especially will welcome a much safer street crossing. For cyclists who opt out of the slalom down Golden Gate between Broderick and Divisadero for the speed rush downtown, McAllister provides a tamer but direct route into the Civic Center and, with a jag, onto Market Street. Yet McAllister is no smooth sailing, especially at the Franklin and Van Ness intersections.

Cyclists must dodge a large sunken manhole while crossing Franklin Street eastbound and then prepare for what I cursed as the "McAllister Waves" in the Van Ness intersection -- a several foot wide area where the asphalt had been been "pushed" into a series of deep, broad ripples. To stay within the bikeway and avoid motorists and especially the #5 Muni bus behind or alongside them, cyclists had to negotiate the waves without benefit of surfing gear. The jumbled surface made crossing the intersection difficult and dangerous.

Saturday morning the McAllister waves looked more like a smooth, sandy beach. Overnight road crews had re-surfaced all the intersection. (The waves weren' t the only surface defects in the lanes of traffic). Now the crossing is smooth and safer, allowing cyclists to focus on traffic without risking a nasty spill or worse. Thanks Dept. of Public Works road crews! (Now, about that sunken manhole cover at McAllister and Franklin ... ).

It's beyond me why motorists so seldom report the gaping craters that chew their tires and damage alignments or why pedestrians tolerate wide cracks and crumbled surfaces in several of the city's crosswalks and sidewalks. Bicyclists have reported more than 1300 potholes, cracks, and craters to 311 during the last 18 months through the Good Roads program of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. We can all be the city's "eyes on the streets and sidewalks" by turning in potholes or other defects in the roadway through 311, either by phone or online.

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.

Baker Street Beat Claims NOPA Niche

Move over Divisadero Corridor, Baker Street Beat is claiming its own niche in NOPA. While Divisadero's makeover begins next week with hopes for a revitalized public space, a quieter transformation promises to re-define the neighborhood just two blocks west.

Baker Street, from Fulton to McAllister, will soon become even more of a nexus for great neighborhood dining and community gatherings. We regret that Cafe Neon has closed its doors even as we welcome a bigger, better Green Chile Kitchen in its space. GCK will leave its original location at Fulton and Baker to move up the block to McAllister. Owner Trevor Logan has wanted to offer sopapillas at his New Mexican hotspot ever since he opened GCK. With the new space and its full kitchen and fryer, sopapillas will be a featured item.

The buzz in NOPA suggests a new coffee outlet will replace the just-closed One World Cafe at Baker and McAllister. With that addition and GCK set to re-open across the street, the four corners will be solidly anchored as a destination crossroads, the geographical center of NOPA and, some say, the center of San Francisco as well.

For those not so familiar with our NOPA streets, the pics here show the four corners. Northwest: the venerable McBaker Market, Southwest: the site for the new Green Chile Kitchen, Southeast: the rumored new fine coffee outlet, and Northeast: the just-established Workshop and Nooworks for urban apparel and accessories.

What's a lively neighborhood without an ice creamery, one that brings customers waiting in line? Although Trevor Logan's hands are a bit full right now with GCK II, he's thinking the former restaurant site might be just right for good, attention-getting ice cream.

San Franciscans love great food and interesting shops, especially if they're within walking distance. Getting to the destination can be as interesting as arriving when the time is shared with friends and neighbors along the way.

Corner Make-Over Set to Improve NOPA Livability

When does a fully re-developed lot improve NOPA livability? Certainly when the property sits at a prominent corner, when it's been vacant and untended for many months, and when three families can take advantage of NOPA's central location and easy transit in the new residences proposed.

The demolition and construction at 2000 McAllister, at the NW corner of Central, has yet to begin, but with even minimally attractive exteriors and landscaping, this corner will likely enjoy a new vitality with the planned three-family, four-story complex to be built.

What the neighborhood loses -- already lost due to the defunct business -- is the corner laundromat that operated here for at least the last dozen years. Neighbors who once relied on this location now have to use other laundromats a few blocks away. NOPNA does its best to support small businesses in the area, and no one wants to see any of them depart. But, this one already has.

Illegal trash dumping and grafitti have plagued this corner for years. As NOPA's resident grafitti guard, Doug Diboll, notes, taggers love big, wide spaces, and the laundry's windows and long expanse of fence along Central offer a huge canvass. Hopefully not for much longer. Neighbors should also expect to see new street trees (required for new construction) to fill in the cracked sidewalk cuts

Construction notes and hearing process. This lot is zoned for RH-3/40x development and fits the neighborhood residential uses and building heights. Neighbors with concerns about the demolition and construction should contact the Planning Department before September 24, 2009. Contact: David Lindsay, 415 558 6393.

Use 311 for NOPA Potholes

Even on NOPA's relatively smooth streets, potholes keep appearing. It's not that these holes, dips, and rough spots never get fixed. Wear and tear -- especially on Muni lines -- take their toll. And NOPA's lurking, dropping sinkholes suck in the temporary asphalt repairs.

The worst streets in NOPA for potholes and other street defects? Divisadero certainly, and its makeover can't begin soon enough. Masonic has its share of hazards, and lower Central, from Fulton to Hayes, is all about recurring sinkholes. For bicyclists, the McAllister ride through NOPA is rough and bumpy even without gaping craters. (For a full review of pavement conditions in NOPA, see previous posts here and here).

The best way to get rid of potholes is to report them to 311, by phone or online. The Dept. of Public Works has a good record of getting the problems fixed within a few days, sometimes longer. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Good Roads program has been monitoring city streets intensively for potholes since April of 2008. During that period, SFBCers have reported more than 1500 potholes to the city through 311. About 50 of those street defects were located on NOPA streets. And yet they keep showing up, such as this one circled in spray paint yesterday on Broderick at Grove. (Note: DPW provides the paint; we're not renegade street taggers. The paint helps DPW locate the hole and it also alerts cyclists of areas to avoid until the fix occurs).

NOPA cyclists: Join the SFBC Good Roads Crew the first Saturday of every month as we target a different neighborhood to identify, circle, and report every pothole, crack, ridge, and sunken utility cover we can find. A group of 6-12 of us meet up at 10 am and conclude by noon and then gather at a neighborhood spot for cold drinks and lunch. We're a very friendly group, and newcomers are always welcome. Check the SFBC Chain of Events and the Good Roads page for meeting spots. (note: no ride this holiday weekend; next ride October 3rd).

Seen While Biking: One Big Cistern in NOPA

Today sewer excavation and replacement work began on Lyon between Golden Gate and McAllister, but only part of it. Seems the ever-appearing sinkholes in the NOPA area are being dealt with one block at a time. The current cutting, digging, piping, and re-paving will involve only the north end of the block.

Who knew a cistern this large lay below Golden Gate at Baker? Nearly the width of the block and extending into the intersection. The water cache perimeter is maked for SF Fire Dept. Will this make NOPA safer when the Big One strikes and fires follow?

Curb appeal, anyone? Finally, this poor stump of a tree finally gave it up. Perhaps all it took was the stiff afternoon breeze -- or resting a bike against it. From the look of the tree base and roots, the rot was well set in. The extreme "pruning" of awhile back certainly did its part. Now the building at this location, the NE corner of Lyon and McAllister, is up for sale. Might the realtor improve sale prospects with a new street tree? Don't hesitate to call them with the suggestion.

Lower McAllister MakeOver

Lower McAllister had some of the worst paving for cyclists, especially any of us riding home in the dark or on wet streets. Way too many cracks and holes and repair bumps. My partner complained of this stretch every night when he worked in the Financial District; now I deal it with more often on trips to the Civic Center. But today I found two of the big offender blocks repaved -- from Hyde to Polk, both directions. Still have to dodge traffic and negotiate the turns from Market to get in the westbound lane, but at least a safe surface is pretty much guaranteed.

The SF Bike Coalition has been urging the city to repave all of McAllister with its rib-rattling condition. We're making progress, even if a few blocks at a time for repaving and regular maintenance for the rest.